that
which is outlandish, and more or less rhapsodical nonsense, first arose
from the name of Geber, because his works were written in such a very
unintelligible style. As an illustration of this style we may quote a
passage (bearing reference to the " philosopher's stone " ; which was
to turn everything it touched into Gold):—" Thence we define our stone
to be a generalising, or fruitful spirit, and living water, which we
name Dry Water, by natural proportion cleansed, and united, with such
union that its principles can never be separated one from another ; to
which two a third must be added for shortening the work, and that is
one of the perfect bodies attenuated, or subtilised." Geber was well
acquainted with the properties of Gold, and of other metals. He was
succeeded in the year 1193, by the famous Albertus Magnus, who in his
day made great efforts to discover the philosopher's stone, and the
elixir vitse.
Roger
Bacon, another noted Alchemist, and Raymond Lully, were contemporaries
of Albertus Magnus. The latter of these two is worthy of praise because
he took Geber for his model, and, instead of pursuing the pretended
arts of astrology, and necromancy, studied most diligently the nature,
and properties of the metals. Roger Bacon firmly believed in the
possibility of transmuting other metals into Gold. Many years
subsequently our Henry VI. granted Letters Patent to several persons
for investigating a universal medicine, and for performing the
transmutation of certain baser metals into Gold, and Silver. These
Letters Patent remained in full force until the year 1689, when the
noted Robert Boyle obtained their repeal because the Act was supposed
to operate to the discouragement of the melting, and
