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imperfect metals that are in the whole world. Secondly, he may by this Art make precious
stones and gems, such as cannot be paralleled in Nature for goodness and greatness.
Thirdly and lastly, he
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hath a Medicine Universal, both for prolonging life and curing of all diseases, so that one
true adeptist can easily cure all the sick people in the world I mean his medicine is
sufficient.
'Now to the King, Eternal, Immortal and sole Almighty, be everlasting praise for these
His unspeakable gifts and invaluable treasures. Whosoever enjoyeth this talent, let him be
sure to employ it to the glory of God and the good of his neighbours, lest he be found
ungrateful to God his Creditor--who has blessed him with so great a talent--and so be in
the last day found guilty of misproving it and so condemned.'
His principal works are 'An Open Entrance to the Shut Palace of the King,' 'Ripley
Revived,' 'The Marrow of Alchemy' in verse, 'Metallorum Metamorphosis,' 'Brevis
Manuductio ad Rubinem Coelestum,' 'Fone Chemicae Veritatis,' and a few others in the
'Musaeum Hermiticum' and in Manget's collection. There is also the story of a
transmutation before Gustavus Adolphus in 1620, the gold of which was coined into
medals, bearing the King's effigy with the reverse Mercury and Venus; and of another at
Berlin, before the King of Prussia.
Sir Isaac Newton, the famous seventeenth-century mathematician and scientist, though
not generally known as an alchemist, was undoubtedly an experimenter in that particular
branch of science. If one follows carefully, in the light of alchemical knowledge, the
biography of Sir Isaac Newton by J. W. V. Sullivan, I think it is quite easy to realize the
experimental theories on which he was working. Sir Arthur Eddington, in reviewing this
book, says:
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'The science in which Newton seems to have been chiefly interested, and on which he
spent most of his time was chemistry. He read widely and made innumerable
experiments, entirely without fruit so far as we know.'
His amanuensis records:
'He very rarely went to bed until two or three of the clock, sometimes not till five or six,
lying about four or five hours, especially at spring or the fall of the leaf, at which time he
used to employ about six weeks in his laboratory, the fire scarce going out night or day.
What his aim might be I was unable to penetrate into.'
I think the answer to this might certainly be that Newton's experiments were concerned
with nothing more or less than alchemy.
In the same century Alexander Seton, a Scot, suffered indescribable torments for his
knowledge of the art of transmutation. After practising in his own country he went
abroad, where he demonstrated his transmutations before men of good repute and
integrity in Holland, Hamburg, Italy, Basle, Strasbourg, Cologne, and Munich. He was
finally summoned to appear before the young Elector of Saxony, to whose court he went
somewhat reluctantly. The Elector, on receiving proof of the authenticity of his
projections, treated him with distinction, convinced that Seton held the secret of
boundless wealth. But Seton refused to initiate the Elector into his secret, and was
imprisoned in Dresden. As his imprisonment would not shake his purpose he was put to
the torture. He was pierced, racked, beaten, seared with fire and molten lead, but still he
held his peace. At length he was left in solitary confinement
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until his release was finally engineered by the adept Sendivogius. Even to his friend he
refused to reveal the secret until shortly before his death, two years after his escape from
prison, when he presented Sendivogius with his transmuting powder.
CHAPTER VIII
THE COMTE DE ST. GERMAIN
It is rather remarkable that in the history of alchemy the Comte de St. Germain has not
been mentioned. There is no doubt that he was an expert in the art, but of the many
stories related about this remarkable man, his achievements in this particular sphere seem
to play no part.
St. Germain was a baffling personality. As far as can be ascertained he was the son of
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