458 HISTORY OF ALCHEMY. 



vessel was filled with cold water, on a warm day ; the coldness was com- 

 municated to the surrounding air, changing it to water, which was con 

 densed on the outside of the vessel. 



In like manner they claimed that earth could be changed to water, w^ater 

 to air and air to fire by the mere j^utting on or off of predominant proper- 

 ties. The metals they divided into two classes ; such as preserved their lustre 

 when exposed to fire, were called noble metals, while those that lost their 

 lustre and other characteristic proiDerties by heat, were termed base metals. 

 The metals were moreover regarded as compounds, consisting of a metallic 

 earth and an infiamimable principle, which they called sulphur. In gold 

 these principles were found nearly pure, while in other metals they were 

 contaminated with foreign ingredients, by being purified of w^iich they 

 would be converted into gold. 



Such were a few of the leading ideas of ancient chemical philosophy. 

 To us thej^ seem mere idle visions, but to the ancients, with the light i\\Qy 

 had on science, they were as plausible as the laws of gravitation and the 

 correllations and conservations of force are now, and they seemed at that 

 time strongly supported by facts. 



Lead and copper ores are frequently found alloyed with silver and some- 

 times with gold also. Take galena (lead ore), for example. They saw by its 

 lustre, etc., that it was a metal ; if heated it gave off sulphur and its prop- 

 erties were heightened, in fact, it became a purer metal. It was very reason- 

 able to suppose that by the separation of a little more sulphur it would 

 become further purified and changed to silver, and when, on further applica- 

 tion of heat, a little silver was really obtained, and from it, a trace of gold, 

 it was natural to think they had produced the latter, and that by continuing 

 or perfecting the process they could change all the lead to gold. 



Again, they poured water on quick-lime; it disappeared, lost its proper- 

 ties as water, and acquired those of stone, in other words, it was transmuted. 



A small plant in a weighed portion of soil, by the addition of pure water 

 only, grew to be a vigorous shrub, while the soil lost but a trifle. What was 

 more natural than to suppose the water was tranmuted to a living structure ? 



Thej^ said, "does not fermentation change the sweet juices of plants into 

 the invigorating and youth-giving ac[ua vitae (water of life)." "Does not 

 digestion transform food into blood?" 



Such things seemed to amply confirm their theories, and I think their 

 ideas, for that stage of the science, were perfectly legitimate, although in 

 themselves erroneous. Taken in connection with the times, we find it a 

 natural stage in the growth of the human mind ; as Yauman again says "it 

 was the first experimental grapple of man with nature." 



They did not, however, adhere to this method of investigation but al- 

 lowed themselves to be led astray by astrological dreams and a thousand 

 other absurdities, the natural result of which was their fables of the phi- 

 losopher's stone. This philosopher's stone or ^'lapis tmgens" was then the 

 backbone of alchemy; the distinguishing feature between it and chemistry 



