OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 39 



Vulcan, they worshipped fire itfelf, for they 

 believed that it was eflentially ncccflary to the 

 creation and perfection of all matter*. Zofimus 

 calls Panapolis the fchool of chcmiftry ; and Sy- 

 nefius confirms this fentimcnt. Cedrenus in the 

 eleventh century throws more light upon this 

 queftion, for he fays, That " Faunus, named 

 " clfcwhcrc Hermes, r u X r" f **' (in ot^crco- 

 41 pics rmyffirff)i;fFnpf/iirAKcif." But neverthclefs, 

 all that has been faid does not, in my opinion, 

 prove that the Egyptians undcrftood the &>*** 

 t' t or art of making gold; and we know from 

 daily experience, that whole Hates, ignorant of 

 this art, rife to wealth and power by induflry 

 alone. However, in ancient times, it is well af- 

 rcrtaincd, that vaft quantities of pure gold were 

 concealed in that quarter of the globe, which 

 had been CN traded from the foil there, or im- 

 ported by commerce, or wars with the neigh- 

 bouring nations, and thus had increafed their 

 trcafurcs. 



This extraordinary rage of converting every 

 thing into gold fcizcd all the chc.mifts of the 

 fourrh century. As gold had b^cn long confi- 

 dcred as the medium of exchange in the pur- 

 chafe of every commodity, the chemifts, who 

 were bettor acquainted with the various quali- 

 ties of bodies than others, and who faxv mira- 

 cles riling daily under their hands, and alJurcA 

 C 4 aljb 



* Ibid. 1. ii. c. 2. 



Y HifL Comp. 



