Mr. J. Taylor's Lectures on Metallurgy. 449 



complicated oeconomy of the Egj^ptian hierarchy declined bv 

 he consequences of the Roman conquest and other cai;;es 

 the knowledge of some of their arts became diffused into Eu 

 rope, and with it the spirit that pervaded their pliHosophy 

 .oH ^ »'' ^^ may trace the study of Alchemy, which has been 

 called ''^„«r/ >,,tthout art, the beginning of Mi is falsehood 

 the middle hard labour, and the end becrgary " " •>^"^'^^'^^^' 

 Such a summary condemnation ought not however, perhaps, 

 to be passed on a pursuit which at any rate has procured for 

 aher tuues much knowledge, merely because we iith super or 

 knowledge can see the absurdity of many of its preten^LTs 

 or can detect the imposture of many of its professors. The 

 prmcpal object of the alchemists was to make^gold and silver^ 

 thev imagmed a certain mysterious sympathy between the 

 metals and the heavenly bodies of our solar sj^em; they de! 

 signated them by the same names, and represented S by 

 the same characters. The great intrinsic value of the prin- 

 cipal metals naturally engaged a great portion of the atten- 

 tionoi those who acquu-ed chemical knowledge; and finding 

 in he pursuit of many experiments unlooked-for compound! 

 and results, two dominant passions in the human mind were 

 flattered,-the love of scientific discovery, and the desire of 



gain 



The golden age of alchemy commenced with the conquests 

 o Arabian ianafcsm m Asia and Africa, and the subjection 

 ot Europe to superstition, and the most profound ignorance. 

 From the 10th to the 13th century little is' known concerning 

 the state o alchemical studies; but about the latter period 

 Aibertus JNIagnus, Roger Bacon, and Raymond Lullv^ who 

 were able men raised the pursuit to a degree of credit which 

 It little merited; and it is spoken of as the Hermetic philoso- 

 phy, and sometimes as the holy or divine art. 



The 15th century exhibited the same conibination of che- 

 mistry with alchemy; but the language of the professors was 

 less obscure and the great authors were, during that period, 

 Hollandus (Isaac and John), George Ripley, and Basil Va- 

 lentine. 



In 1550 ajipeared the celebrated treatise De Re Metallica 

 by Georgius Agricola; wlio, though bewildered in liis youth 

 by tiie false philosophy of the times, made ami^le amends by 

 tins admirable work on Metallurgy and Mineralogy. Alchemy 

 now gave way to tiie increase of knowledge, and to the effec-t 

 ot the experimental method of philosophizing which was in- 

 troduced by the great Bacon, though a certain number of im- 

 postors and some credulous and honest dupes continued at 



\ ol. LI. Xo. :jo2. June IS'i.'J. .'i L intervals 



