Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1877 edition. Excerpt: ...universal medicine which should heal all disorders, and prolong human life indefinitely. This new field was occupied by new zealots. and one of these was Paracelsus, who, maintaining that strong distilled alcohol was the desired elixir vitae. fell a sacrifice to his enthusiasm by drinking too freely of this preventive of old age. The decline of alchemy may be dated from the middle of the sixteenth century. Few writers of reputation after that time wrote professedly on this subject, though a kind oi half belief in its truth was long after cherished by even the most eminent chemists, and occasionally individuals appeared boldly claiming success in the science: such men were Agricola, Denis Zachaire, Dr. Dee and his colaborer, Edward Kelley, and, as the last of the alchemists, Helvetius, Jean Delisle, the Count de St. Germain and Cagliostro. Even so late as the year-1784, Dr. Price, F. R. S. publicly proclaimed his ability of creating gold at will, but an investigation into his process being determined upon by the Royal Society, finding detection inevitable, the would-be alchemist finished his course bv committing suicide. The poverty of the alchemists as a class became proverbial, thus though avowedly in possession of the art of making gold, they were at any time willing to divulge this secret merely for a small amount of what they pretended to produce in any quantity. Although it cannot be claimed that the researches of these philosophers were in the domains of true science, yet in their fruitless efforts for obtain ing the philosopher's stone, or the elixir of life, the world acquired information of far more value than the possession of either would have conferred upon it, in the advancement made in the rudiments of what has since...