THE PROLONGATION 



the whole world believed in alchymy) was, that he had 

 found out the philofopher's ftone. 



To tliis end indeed fome tale muft fuddenly be in- 

 vented, \ike that which he delivered to the king in his 

 account ; and it was artful enough in him to introduce 

 into the plot, the good God and faint James of Com- 

 poftella, who at that time played a considerable part in 

 the affairs of chriftendom. Flamel was at this period 

 already pretty far advanced in years. He lived ex- 

 ceedingly retired and frugal. The treafmes which the 

 philofopher's ftone , in three operations had procured 

 him, were for the moft part expended on his pious 

 foundations. However the fource of his riches was 

 frill remaining ; for he pofferTed the myftical hierogly- 

 phic book of the Hebrew Abraham, to which the bap- 

 tized jewifh phyfician Sanchez (which in the ms. of 

 my anonymous is written Chanchez) had furnifhed 

 him with the key. This book Flamel delivered up to 

 the king, and thereby purchafed his freedom from all 

 farther demands. — It is ftill to be feen in the royal 

 library, and might now be of great fervice to the 

 republic, in the prefent diftrelTed condition of the 

 french finances. 



But hew came it to pafs, that Charles VI. or the 

 famous queen I (libel la and her paramours, who were 

 always fo greedy of money, did not make a better ufe 

 of thefe glorious means, whereby they might have 

 fpared the fubjecl all thofe violent and deteftable ex- 

 tortions then in praclice ? How happened it, that no 

 ftate fecret was made of a fund of inch vaft importance 

 but that it was publifhed, even by means of the prefs, 

 in the fifteenth century ? And how came the french 



go- 



