84 THE SEVEN FOLLIES OF SCIENCE 



soaked charcoal in a solution of these metals and threw 

 the charcoal, when powdered, upon the material to be trans- 

 muted. Sometimes they whitened gold with mercury and 

 made it pass for silver or tin, and the gold when melted was 

 exhibited as the result of transmutation. A common ex- 

 hibition was to dip nails in a liquid and to take them out 

 apparently half converted into gold ; these nails consisted 

 of one-half iron neatly soldered to the other half, which was 

 gold, and covered with something to conceal the color. 

 The paint or covering was removed by the liquid. A very 

 common trick was the use of a hollow, iron stirring rod ; 

 the hollow was filled with gold or silver filings, and neatly 

 stopped with wax. When used to stir the contents of the 

 crucible the wax melted and allowed the gold or silver to 

 fall out. 



These frauds were rendered all the more easy because 

 of certain statements which were current in regard to suc- 

 cessful attempts to convert lead and other metals into gold. 

 These accounts were vouched for by well-known chemists 

 and others of high standing. Perhaps the most famous of 

 these is that given by Helvetius in his " Brief of the Golden 

 Calf ; Discovering the Rarest Miracle in Nature ; how by 

 the smallest portion of the Philosopher's Stone, a great 

 piece of common lead was totally transmuted into the purest 

 transplendent gold, at the Hague in 1666." The following 

 is Brande's abridgment of this singular account. 



" The 27th day of December, 1666, in the afternoon, 

 came a stranger to my house at the Hague, in a plebeick 

 habit, of honest gravity and serious authority, of a mean 

 stature and a little long face, black hair not at all curled, 

 a beardless chin, and about forty-four years (as I guess) of 

 age and born in North Holland. After salutation, he be- 

 secched me with great reverence to pardon his rude accesses, 



