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fxtraiJ\ of it had bscB found cfTcftnal in milder cafes of a 

 finjilar kind. The root is more aullere than the herb, and 

 the virtues are communicated alike to water and fpirit of 

 wine. It does not rank among the more powerful aftringents, 

 nor does it defervc that high commendation which has been 

 bedowed upon it in himorhaje-, diarrhoeas, the fluor albus, 

 and the healing of wounds. "Murray Mat. Med. vol. iii. p. 

 1 50. There isa variety of this fpeciis, which is tlie A. minor 

 of Hudfon, and the A. tilpinn />iii,frens minor of Plukenct, 

 in which the leaves are more lilky, fmaller and whiter ; and 

 the Hems lefs branching, and the flowers in Icfs clullers. 2. 

 A. a//iina, cinqucfoil or ;Jpine ladies' mantle, with digitate 

 fcrnite leaves, under filky, grows naturally on the mountains 

 in Yorkdiire, Cumberland, Weftmorland, North Wales, and 

 the Highlands of Scotland. It is alfo a native of Sweden, 

 Denmark, the Alps, and other cold parts of Europe ; and 

 is admitted into gardens on account of its elegance. It is 

 perennial, and flowers in July, v A. aphanoides, w\t\i many 

 parted leaves and Hem ercA, is found in New Granada, by 

 Mutis. 4. A. petitaphylUa, with leaves quinate, multifid, 

 fmooth, grows naturally on the high Alps, as Gothard, 

 Furca, &c. and is only found in fome few curious botanic 

 gardens in this country. It was cultivated by Mr. Miller in 

 1748. Tliefe fpecies may be propagated by parting their 

 roots, for which the bell time is Autumn. They Ihould 

 have a muill foil and a (hady fituation. When they are 

 propagated by feeds, they rtiould be fown in Autumn, on a 

 ihady moill border, and when the plants come up, they will 

 only need to be kept from weeds — Marty n's Miller. Dr. 

 iimith (Flor. Brit. vol. i. p. 190.) has added to this genus 

 the ATHANF-S arvttijis of Linnsus. 



ALCHEMIST, a perfon who profeiTes Alchemy. 



ALCHEMY, Alchimie, Fr. Tlie fubjeft of alchemy 

 occupies fo large a fpace in the humiliating hiftoiy of the 

 mifapplication of brilliant talents, and tlie wanderings of the 

 human underllanding, as to juility and indeed demand a 

 particular enquiry into tlie caules of its origin, the grounds 

 of its continuance, and the reafon of its gradual decline, 

 and at length total retirement from public notice. Inilead, 

 therefore, of merely quoting the concife and farcaftic de- 

 finition given of it by Harris, " Ars fine arte, cujus prin- 

 cipium ell mentiri, medium laborare, finis mendicare," (an 

 art without art, originating in falfehood, and proceeding 

 through labour to beggar)), we fhall treat of it at fome 

 length, confidering firlt, the origin of the appellation ; fe- 

 coudly, its hiilory ; thirdly, the theory and arguments that 

 are nlledged in its fupport ; and fourthly, the facts upon 

 which it profe.Tes to be eitablifhed. 



I. The word alchemy occurs for the firft time in the 

 writings of Julius Firmicus Maternus, who lived in the 

 fourth centur)-, under the reign of Conftantine. This, 

 however, is rather the date of the feparation between che- 

 miilrj- and alchemy than of the origin of either. The facl 

 feems to be, that a confiderable quantity of real chemical 

 knowledge but abundantly mixed, as the cuilom was, with 

 fiible and hypothefis, was poffeired by the priefts of Egypt ; 

 and by thefe it v.as communicated, motlly under a promife 

 of fecrecy, to the Alexandrian Greeks. It is probable alfo 

 tliat as there were feveral orders of initiation into their facrcd 

 rites to be pafTed through in fuccefGon by the afpiiant before 

 he was entrufted with their highell mylleries, fo there niight 

 be a fimilar rule obferved with regard to the communication 

 of the different fuijjeits of the Hermetic philofophy ; thus 

 the lovveft fecrets might be the preparation of the commoner 

 chemical menftrua ; the next in order might be the compo- 

 fition of glafs and the art of dying, both of which appear, 

 even in tiic time of Pliny, to hav« been chiefly praclifed in 



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Egypt, and contain at the prefent day more fecrets than any- 

 other of our chemical arts ; the knowledge of the moil 

 efficacious medicines would be efteemed as a proof of ftlll 

 higher confidence ; and from the love of myfteiy inherent in 

 the human mind, the moft valuable communications of all 

 would be that mixture of aflrology with medical and che- 

 mical theories, which, appearing to unfold the fecret con- 

 nection between the great powers of nature, flattered the 

 imagination with the hope of performing things wholly im- 

 polfible to other mortals. The aftual poliefTion and exertion 

 of much lucrative knowledge, and the reputation of itill 

 more valuable fecrets, would naturally attratl the notice of 

 the credulous, the interefted, and, if any fuch exifted at 

 that period, of the philofophers, die real difinterefted en- 

 quirers after fcienee. In procefs of time, as the influence 

 of the Egj-ptian prieithood declined by the confequences o£ 

 the Roman conqueft and from other caufes, when too the per- 

 fons entrufted with the fecrets of cheraiftiy were confidcrably 

 increafed in number, and were diffeminated through all the 

 o-reat cities of the Empire, it would neceffarily happen that 

 many from choice or neceffity would advance no further in 

 the lludy than was immediately conducive to their profit, by 

 the refining of metals and the preparation of chemical com- 

 pounds of general demand and utility, while tlie more theo- 

 retical and myilerious parts of the fcienee would remain ia 

 poffeiTion of a few. The complicated economy of the 

 Egyptian hierarchy being broken up, and there exifting no 

 longer any acknowledged heads of the fcienee, the diftiniition 

 between cliemiilry and alchemy would immediately com- 

 mence. The chemifls, or artifts in cbemiftr)-, having no other 

 objeA in view than pecuniaiy emolument from the fale of 

 chemical articles, would confine their attention to the im- 

 provement of the particular manufatlories in which they 

 were engaged. The theoretical chemifts or alchemijls., on the 

 other hand, having in view a certain myfterious unattained 

 and probably unattainable objeft, would look with contempt 

 on the occupations of the chemift, and would confider them- 

 felves as in pofleffion of the only liberal part of the fcienee ; 

 their language partly from policy and partly from the want 

 of clear ideas on the fubjeft, would become more and more 

 obfcure, and knaves and impofl;ors would creep in among 

 them who would endeavour to indemnify themlelves for the 

 ill fuccels of their experiments by frauds and impofitions on 

 the unwaiy. Tlie original difference therefore between che- 

 millrj' and alchemy feems to have been that the former was a 

 mere art confilling in the preparation of fubftances by known 

 procefies, while the latter proceeding from general principles, 

 either ailumed gratuitouflv or taken up on very inadequate 

 proof, was always aiming through the medium of new and 

 uncertain experiments at the difcovery of tliofe powers which 

 were fuppofed to be charadleriftic of the fublimer parts of 

 the Hermetic philofophy. 



II. It appears certain from the uniformly concurrent tef- 

 timony of ancient hiftor}', that Europe was originally in- 

 debted to Egypt for its knowledge of chemical fcienee. 

 This knowledge, however, was but fparingly dealt out to a 

 few of the Greek philofophers, at the expence of much 

 felicitation, and many years of ftudy by the Egyptian priefts, 

 as long as that country retained its independence. After- 

 wards, when by the viftorious expedition of Alexander, a 

 race of Greek monarchs was placed on the throne of the 

 Pharaohs, and the foundation of the univeifity of Alex- 

 andria had efFefted a coalition between the arts of Greece 

 and the fcienee of Egypt, chemiftrv being rendered more 

 acceflible, was fludied more generally and with increafed 

 ardour. The fame fpiiit, however, which pervaded their 

 rcfearches into mctaphyfics and theology, appears to have 



auimatcd 



