Introduction. 29 
the Book of Genesis we hear of the “ whole 
Land of Havilah where there is gold, and 
the gold of that land is good.” Almost 
everything seems to have been made of 
gold; lamps, tongs, candlesticks, snuffers, 
censers, spoons, to say nothing of articles of 
adornment. ‘Job” had a quantity of the 
precious metal, for every one gave him ‘“‘an 
ear-ring of gold.” As to Solomon he made 
the Altars and Tables of gold, 200 targets 
and 300 shields of gold; and Daniel wore a 
chain of gold round his neck. Then from 
most early times rings were made of gold— 
marriage and betrothal rings. Pythagoras, 
in one of his maxims, says, “‘ Never wear too 
tight a ring”; this has been interpreted rightly 
or wrongly as a warning against matrimony. 
If, then, so much can be done with gold, it is 
not to be wondered at that men in later ages 
sought to transmute it from the other metals ; 
but for the present let me leave my alchymical 
researches. I have said that marriage or 
