polite attention to the learned Englishman was the Am- 

 bassador of Spain, the crafty Octavius Spinola. He secured 

 Dee's confidence by inviting him to dinner, in the course of 

 which he claimed to be a descendant of the noted alchemist 

 Raymund Lully, one of the reputed possessors of the Philo- 

 sophers' stone, who late in life through religious convictions, 

 went as a missionary to the Moors of North Africa, where 

 he perished at their hands by stoning, a Christian martyr. 

 This interested Dee immensely and he besought his good 

 friend to use his influence with Rudolph in his favor. Instead 

 of so doing, however, the treacherous Spaniard told his 

 Majesty that Dee was a bankrupt adventurer, a conjurer of 

 infernal demons, who was practising magical arts against 

 the Emperor's person, and whose only object at Prague was 

 to wheedle him out of silver and gold. Some of this Rudolph 

 already knew, some of it was unfortunately true, but the 

 slanderous accusation greatly prejudiced Dee's position at 

 court. ^A decree of banishment was issued, and Dee and 

 Kelley fled with their families to Cracow where they still 

 had a few friends. 



The finances of the Englishmen were now very low, and 

 they were in sore straits to keep up the appearance of 

 opulence so necessarj- to their pretentions as possessors of the 

 secrets of Hermes. Fortune favored them, however, when 

 they gained the ear of Stephen, King of Poland ; in the royal 

 presence Dee again consulted the invaluable "holy stone," 

 under Kelley's excellent management as "skryer," and the 

 spirits announced that Rudolph would soon be assassinated 

 and that Stephen himself would succeed to the imperial 

 throne. This flattering prediction pleased the King, and for 

 a time he furnished money for experiments in transmutation, 

 a large part of which was devoted to the necessary expenses 

 of the English families. But the King of Poland soon grew 



42 



