160 NATURAL HISTORY. 



vanities out of astrology, natural magic, supersti 

 tious interpretations of Scriptures, auricular tradi 

 tions, feigned testimonies of ancient authors, and the 

 like. It is true, on the other side, they have brought 

 to light not a few profitable experiments, and thereby 

 made the world some amends. But we, when we 

 shall come to handle the version and transmutation 

 of bodies, and the experiments concerning metals 

 and minerals, will lay open the true ways and pas 

 sages of nature, which may lead to this great effect. 

 And we commend the wit of the Chineses, who 

 despair of making of gold, but are mad upon the 

 making of silver : for certain it is, that it is more dif 

 ficult to make gold, which is the most ponderous 

 and materiate amongst metals, of other metals less 

 ponderous and less materiate, than &quot; via versa,&quot; to 

 make silver of lead or quicksilver, both which are 

 more ponderous than silver ; so that they need rather 

 a further degree of fixation than any condensation. 

 In the mean time, by occasion of handling the 

 axioms touching maturation, we will direct a trial 

 touching the maturing of metals, and thereby turn 

 ing some of them into gold : for we conceive indeed, 

 that a perfect good concoction, or digestion, or 

 maturation of some metals, will produce gold. And 

 hereby we call to mind, that we knew a Dutchman, 

 that had wrought himself into the belief of a great 

 person, by undertaking that he could make gold : 

 whose discourse was, that gold might be made; 

 but that the alchemists over-fired the work : for, he 

 said, the making of gold did require a very tern- 



