C R I M A L D I . 40 J 



go and relate the whole event to the magiftracy, I 

 ihould not be believed. Grimaldi's body is in my 

 houfe, and every man would account me his mur- 

 derer; it would coll me a great deal of trouble to 

 prove rriy innocence. Whereas if I bury him private- 

 ly, there will be nobody to blab., as nobody will have 

 feen it. And truly between the fcaffold and a full 

 cfofFer it is hot very difficult to chufc. Eureka ! I have 

 found what I have been fo long hunting after ; I have 

 found the philofopher's ftone, without the help of my 

 curfed crucibles, and my fmoky heintzel * ! 



Armed with a dark lantern, he fet out on his way. 

 The rain fell in torrents from the clouds, the thunder 

 rolled in dreadful peals, but he neither felt nor heard any 

 thing of it. His mind was full of Grimaldi's hoards. 

 He tried his keys, unlocked the doors, opened the fit- 

 ing room ; it was not large, but well fecured. it had 

 incomparably more locks than doors. We may eafily 

 imagine what he firft looked about for. Again ft the 

 iron cheft he directed the whole battery of his bunch of 

 keys, and he almoft defpaired of carrying the liege ; as it 

 alone had four or five different locks without fide, not 

 to mention thofe within. At length however he took 

 the fort ; in it he found a cafket full of gold rings, 

 bracelets, jewels, and other valuables, and with it four 

 bags on each of which he read with tranfport the words : 

 Three thoufand ducats in gold. He trufted implicitly 

 fo the epigraph, taking it for granted that all was rightly 

 told. 



* The name of a chemical furnace. 



B d 2 Quivering 



