Secondly; how is the potable gold prepared that Kelley 

 gave Rudolph to taste? 



Thirdly; how is the apparatus called Tritrop used? 



Fourthly; how is white earth, or unripe silver, manu- 

 factured ? 



Fifthly; how are certain precious stones made by arti- 

 fice? 



Lastly ; what is the signification of the secret characters 

 in Kelley's note-book? 



The unhappy victim could not have answered these 

 queries under ordinary circumstances and torture was un- 

 availing. Failing in this attempt to force Kelley, he was 

 treated more leniently for a while and allowed paper, pens 

 and books. 



The news of Kelley's pitiable plight reached Dee at Mort- 

 [ lake, and he besought Queen Elizabeth to appeal to Emperor 

 Rudolph to release the Englishman, but in vain. The prisoner 

 hearing of this fruitless attempt at succor, planed an escape; 

 friends outside bribed the jailors and gave drugged liquor to 

 the sentinels, placed horses at convenient points and made 

 all preparations for flight. Kelley got out of his dungeon 

 but in attempting to let himself down from the outer wall 

 of the castle by a rope, fell, broke his leg and injured himself 

 internally ; he was immediately recaptured and again immured 

 in the fortress, where he was shortly relieved of his sufferings 

 by death. Sir Edward was then about forty-two years of 

 age; some authorities say he was an Irishman by birth, and 

 that his real name was Talbot, which he dropped after his 

 punishment for forgery. 



While in captivity Kelley composed a trea^ e in Latin on 

 the "Stone of Philosophers," which he dedicated, ' October, 

 1596, "To the most potent Lord of the Holy Roma... ipire, 



48 



