*140] 
visit supplies the place of a formal 
testament. I will quietly take the 
executorship upon me; that will be 
the wisest and the safest way: For, 
should I even go and relate the 
whole event to the magistracy, I 
should not be believed. Grimaldi’s 
body isin my house, and every-man 
would account me his murderer 
it would cost me a great deal of 
trouble to prove my innocence, 
Whereas if I bury him privately, 
there will be nobody to blab, as no+ 
body will have seenit. And truly be- 
tween the scaffold and.a full coffer 
it isnot very difficult to chuse, Eu- 
teka! I have found what I have been 
so long hunting after; I have found 
the philosopher’s stone, without the 
‘help of my cursed crucibles, and my 
smoaky heintzel !* 
Armed with a dark lantern, he 
set out on his way.. The rain fell 
in terrents from the clouds, the 
thunder rolled in dreadful peals, but 
he neither felt nor heard any thing 
of it. His mind was fullof Grimaldi’s 
hoards. He tried his keys, unlocked 
the doors, opened the sitting room ; 
it was not large, but well secured. 
It had incomparably more locks than 
doors. We may easily imagine 
what he first looked about for. 
Against the iron chest he directed 
the whole battery of his bunch of 
keys, and he almost despaired of 
carrying the siege; as it alone had 
four or five different locks without 
side, not to mention those within. 
At length however he took the fort ; 
in it he found a casket full of gold 
rings, bracelets, jewels, and other 
valuables, and with it four bags, on 
each of which he read with trans- 
port the words: Three thousand 
ducats in gold, He trusted impli- 
* The name of 2 « 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1765: 
citly to the epigraph,’taking it for 
granted that all was rightly told. 
- Quivéring with joy, he seized 
upon the bags, and left the jewels 
behind, a8 there was a chance that 
they might betray him. Being a 
great friend to order, he carefully 
replaced every thing in its forme 
state, shut again every lock, and 
happily came back to his house with 
the precious burden, without being 
met or seen by any one. His first 
care was to put his foar bags ina 
place of security; his second, to 
take measures for the interment of 
the deceased. He lifted him up 
easily as a feather; for the bare 
touch of the bags of gold, by its 
Native energy, had imparted to him 
a strength which astonished himself. 
He carried Grimaldi into bis cellars 
dug a deep grave, and tumbled him | 
in, with his keys and clothes. This 
done, he filled up the grave with so 
much caution that it was impossible 
to discover that the earth had been 
opened. 
Having finished his work, -he 
hastened to his room, untied his bags, 
and began, not so much to count 
as to feed his sight with the gold. 
He found that all was exactly right, 
not asingle piece was wanting; but 
he was dazzled and giddy at the 
sight of so much money. First he 
counted it, then he weighed it; has 
ecstasy increasing every moment. 
He deposited the whole heap in a 
private closet, burnt the bags, and 
did not quit them with his eyes till 
the last atom was cofsumed, when 
he threw the ashes into the air, 
afraid lest even these might betray 
him. At last he retired to rest ; for 
labour and joy had conspired to fae 
tigue bim. 
chemical! furnace, 
Some 
ee 
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