96 THE SEVEN FOLLIES OF SCIENCE 



for the language of the alchemists was so vague and mys- 

 tical that it is often very difficult to ascertain their meaning 

 with any approach to certainty. The following, which is a 

 fair sample of their metaphorical modes of expressing them- 

 selves, is found in the works of Geber. In one of his writ- 

 ings, he exclaims : " Bring me the six lepers that I may 

 cleanse them." Modern commentators explain this as being 

 his mode of telling his readers that he would convert into 

 gold the six inferior or, as they were called by the alchem- 

 ists, the six imperfect metals. No wonder that Dr. John- 

 son adopted the idea that the word gibberish (anciently 

 written geberisk) owed its origin to an epithet applied to 

 the language of Geber and his tribe. 



Some have claimed that the elixir and the philosopher's 

 stone were one and the same thing, and some of the writ- 

 ings of the old alchemists would seem to confirm this view. 

 Thus, at the close of a formula for preparing the philoso- 

 pher's stone, Carolus Musitanus gives the following ad- 

 monition : 



"Thus friend, you have a description of the universal 

 medicine, not only for curing diseases and prolonging life, 

 but also for transmuting all metals into gold. Give there- 

 fore thanks to Almighty God, who, taking pity on human 

 calamities, has at last revealed this inestimable treasure, 

 and made it known for the benefit of all." 



And Brande tells us that "nearly all the alchemists 

 attributed the power of prolonging life either to the philoso- 

 pher's stone or to certain preparations of gold, imagining 

 possibly that the permanence of that metal might be trans- 

 ferred to the human system. The celebrated Descartes is 

 said to have supported such opinions ; he told Sir Kenelm 

 Digby that although he would not venture to promise im- 

 mortality, he was certain that life might be lengthened to 



