THE ALCHEMICAL STUDIES OF SCOT 71 



plished fact. Thus, under the power of the planets, 

 in some favourable hour and fortunate conjunction, 

 the mighty work would be done : the philosopher's 

 stone discovered, the metals transmuted, and the 

 ehxir of life produced. 



It is highly curious to find this idea presented in 

 a novel and perhaps an exaggerated form by a writer 

 of the sixteenth century. This was Fra Evangelista 

 Quattrami of Gubbio, sempUcista, or master of the 

 still-room, to the Cardinal d'Este. He wrote a 

 book entitled. The t7me declaration of all the 

 TYietaiohors, similitudes, and riddles of the ancient 

 Alchemical Philosophers, as well among the Chal- 

 deans and Arabians as the Greeks and Latins} 

 According to this work, the potable gold ; the elixir 

 of life ; the quintessence, and the philosopher's 

 stone were nothing but fantastic names for the fire 

 itself which was used in distillation and other 

 chemical operations. In this the Frate may possibly 

 have touched the true sense of Al Kindi at least, 

 who, in his commentary on the Meteora,'^ speaks of 

 fire as if it were the all in all of the alchemist. 



While the primitive chemical practice followed 

 the progress of the arts which it served, the new 

 theory of alchemy, with the ever-growing tradition 

 of fantastic experiments arising out of it, found 

 different and less direct channels in its descent from 

 ancient to modern times. It has been customary 

 to speak of the Arabs as if that nation had been the 

 chief means of transmitting the knowledge of Greek 

 doctrine to our mediseval scholars, but we now 



^ Roma, Vincentio Accolti, 1587. My copy is the one presented by 

 the author to the great Aldrovandus of Bologna, with whom he seems to 

 have been on intimate terms. 



2 See the Paris ms. 6514, pp. 133-35. 



