the preparation of this "heavenly viaticum," or "alcho- 

 chodon," is of prime importance; it was known as early as 

 the thirteenth century to Raymond Lully of Majorca, as set 

 forth in the following lines written by Sir George Ripley: 



"An Oyle is drawne owte in colour of Gold, 



Or lyke thereto out of our fire Redlead 



Whych Raymond sayd when he was old, 



Much more than Gold wold stand hym in stede. 



For when he was for age nygh dede, 



He made thereof Aurum Potabile 



Whych hym revyvyd as men myght see." 



In the same century, Friar Bacon, writing to his Holiness 

 Pope Nicholas IV., states that an aged peasant found some 

 yellow liquid in a golden flask when plowing on his farm in 

 Sicily, and supposing it to be dew he drank it off, and was 

 immediately transformed into a hale, robust and highly ac- 

 complished youth. On examination of the few drops remain- 

 ing in the flask the liquid was found to be Aurum Potabile; the 

 laborer abandoned his agricultural tasks and being admitted 

 to the service of the King of Sicily served him eighty years. 



Passing modern attempts to prepare this panacea, Dr. 

 Xabau said that after testing in vain nearly one hundred re- 

 cipes for the "food of angels," he had succeeded in devising 

 a new process that yielded most advantageous results; it is 

 as follows: 



"Put foliated gold into a vessel well-sealed with Hermes' 

 seal; put it into our fire till it be calcined to ashes, then 

 sublime it into /fores, leaving the caput mortuum, or black 

 terra damnata, in the bottom. Then let that which is sublimed 

 "be with the same degree of fire united to the same caput 

 mortuum, that all may be reduced to an Oyle which is called 

 Oleum Solis." 



As thus obtained the dose for an adult is two or three 

 grains. With it a diaphoretic powder can be made that is a 



118 



