86 THE SEVEN FOLLIES OF SCIENCE 



for thee.' * Sir,' said I, with a dejected countenance, * what 

 means this ? ' And he said, * Even that will transmute half 

 an ounce of lead.' So I gave him great thanks, and said I 

 would try it, and reveal it to no one. He then took his 

 leave, and said he would call again next morning at nine. 

 I then confessed, that while the mass of his medicine was 

 in my hand the day before, I had secretly scraped off a 

 bit with my nail, which I projected on lead, but it caused no 

 transmutation, for the whole flew away in fumes. ' Friend,' 

 said he, * thou art more dexterous in committing theft than 

 in applying medicine ; hadst thou wrapt up thy stolen prey 

 in yellow wax, it would have penetrated and transmuted 

 the lead into gold.' I then asked if the philosophic work 

 cost much or required long time, for philosophers say that 

 nine or ten months are required for it. He answered, 

 'Their writings are only to be understood by the adepts, 

 without whom no student can prepare this magistery. Fling 

 not away, therefore, thy money and goods in hunting out 

 this art, for thou shalt never find it.' To which I replied, 

 ' As thy master showed it thee so mayest thou perchance 

 discover something thereof to me who know the rudiments, 

 and therefore, it may be easier to add to a foundation than 

 begin anew.' ' In this art,' said he, ' it is quite otherwise, 

 for unless thou knowest the thing from head to heel, thou 

 canst not break open the glassy seal of Hermes. But 

 enough; tomorrow at the ninth hour I will show thee the 

 manner of projection.' But Elias never came again; so 

 my wife, who was curious in the art whereof the worthy 

 man had discoursed, teazed me to make the experiment 

 with the little spark of bounty the artist had left me; so 

 I melted half an ounce of lead, upon which my wife put 

 in the said medicine ; it hissed and bubbled, and in a quarter 

 of an hour the mass of lead was transmuted into fine gold, 

 at which we were exceedingly amazed. I took it to the 

 goldsmith, who judged it most excellent, and willingly 

 offered fifty florins for each ounce." 



Such is the celebrated history of Elias the artist and 

 Dr. Helvetius. 



Helvetius stood very high as a man and chemist, but in 

 connection with this and some other narratives of the same 



