202 MODERN SCIENCE READER 



be at once the philosopher's stone, the universal medicine, 

 and the irresistible solvent. 



After Paracelsus, the alchemists of Europe became di- 

 vided into two classes. The one class was composed of 

 men of diligence and sense, who devoted themselves to the 

 discovery of new compounds and reactions practical 

 workers and observers of facts, and the legitimate ances- 

 tors of the chemists of the era of Lavoisier. The other 

 class took up the visionary and fantastical side of the 

 older alchemy, and carried it to a degree of extravagance 

 previously unknown. Instead of useful work, they com- 

 piled mystical trash into books, and fathered them on 

 Hermes, Aristotle, Albertus Magnus, Paracelsus and other 

 really great men. Their language is a farrago of mystical 

 metaphors, full of "red bridegrooms" and "lily brides", 

 "green dragons", "ruby lions", "royal baths", "waters 

 of life", etc. The seven metals correspond to the seven 

 planets, the seven cosmical angels, and the seven openings 

 of the head the eyes, the ears, the nostrils and the mouth. 

 Silver was Diana, gold was Apollo, iron was Mars, tin was 

 Jupiter, lead was Saturn, etc. They talk forever of the 

 power of attraction, which drew all men and women after 

 the possessor; of the alcahest, and the grand elixir which 

 was to confer immortal youth upon the student who should 

 prove himself pure and brave enough to kiss and quaff the 

 golden draught. There was the great mystery, the mother 

 of the elements, the grandmother of the stars. There was 

 the philosopher's stone and there was the philosophical 

 stone. The philosophical stone was younger than the ele- 

 ments, yet at her virgin touch the grossest calx (ore) 

 among them all would blush before her into perfect gold. 

 The philosopher's stone, on the other hand, was the first- 

 born of nature, and older than the king of metals. Those 

 who had attained full insight into the arcana of the 

 science were styled "wise"; those who were only striving 

 after the light were termed philosophers; while the ordi- 

 nary votaries of the art were called adepts. It was these 



