or not. Rodowsky said in reply that it would appear at 

 first sight as if the question must be answered negativeh'. 

 " Since gold is properly generated in the bowels of the earth, 

 it would seem that whatever is not so generated cannot have 

 the same essence; moreover, the substantial qualities can be 

 introduced into the primordial matter only by the celestial 

 sun, which is not the sun or fire used by alchemists. But the 

 real question is whether there can be elicited from the sun, 

 by an artificial process, any seminal virtue which shall possess 

 the power of hardening quicksilver in a moment of time into 

 gold. That gold possesses such seminal virtue is certain, for 

 St. Augustine says that every substance contains seminal 

 possibilities of a specific character, which will always produce 

 certain given effects, whenever the requisite, causal, temporal 

 and local conditions are fulfilled. Hence gold contains the 

 radical virtue sought; this may be developed by digestive 

 heat and the impulse of an overruling intelligence. First, 

 however, the gold must be reduced to its prima materia by 

 calcination in a reverbertory fire, and the seminal virtue thus 

 extracted must be sown in sublimed mercurial earth so as 

 to impregnate the latter by fixation, the vessel being kept 

 closed to prevent escape of the spiritual power." 



When the handsome, dignified foreigner left his seat, at 

 the invitation of the Vice Chancellor, the assembly gave utter- 

 ance to a low murmur of satisfaction. Dr. Dee saluted the 

 Chairman with a low bow and apologizing for his ignorance 

 of the colloquial tongue, spoke in Latin. He took a religious 

 view of the studies of theosophy, hermetism and crystallo- 

 mancy, and referring to the Philosophers' stone said : "Whoso- 

 ever attempteth the search for the glorious Elixir ought in 

 the first place to implore the assistance of the all-powerful 

 Jehovah at the throne of his mercy, who is the true and sole 

 author of all mysteries of Nature. See what Scripture saith : 



26 



