22 ESSAYS BIOGRAPHICAL AND CHEMICAL 



Herald of the Gods, "new-lighted on a heaven-kissing 

 hill " ; iron was the ruddy-eyed Mars, in panoply complete ; 

 lead was heavy-lidded Saturn, " quiet as a stone," within 

 the tangled forest of material forms ; tin was the Diabolus 

 Metallorum, a very devil among the metals, and so forth 

 in not unmeaning mystery. 



' There were flying birds, green dragons, and red lions. 

 There were virginal fountains, royal baths, and waters of 

 life. There were salts of wisdom, and essential spirits so 

 fine and volatile, that drop after drop, let fall from the 

 lip of the wonderful phial that contained them, could 

 never reach the ground. There was the powder of 

 attraction which drew all men and women after its 

 fortunate possessor ; and the alcahest, or universal solvent 

 and noli-me-tangere of essences. There was the grand 

 elixir that conferred undying youth on the glorious 

 mortal who was pure and brave enough to kiss and 

 quaff the golden wavelet as it mantled o'er the cup of 

 life the fortunate Endymion of a new mythology. There 

 were the Philosophical stone, and the Philosopher's stone ; 

 the former the art and practice, the latter the theory 

 and idea, of turning baser natures into nobler ; the theory 

 and practice of exaltation. The Philosophical stone was 

 younger than the elements, yet at her virgin touch the 

 grossest calx among them all would blush before her into 

 perfect gold. The Philosopher's stone was the first-born 

 of all things, and older than the king of metals. In a 

 word, there was an interminable imbroglio of a few of 

 the hard-won facts of nature, a multitude of traditionary 

 processes and results, several very just analogies, some 

 most fantastical notions, one or two profound, but intract- 

 able ideas, a haze of philosophical mysticism, and an 

 under-current of fervid religiosity.' 



Such conceptions ruled the minds of philosophers, as 

 they loved to call themselves, until the middle of the 



