In case of pressing need, he
could extend the process with like result to his area railings,
which ought to be enough to keep the wolf from the door for some
little while even at the present-day scale of prices.
Basil Valentine, the German Benedictine monk and alchemist, who
wrote a book which he quaintly termed The Triumphant Wagon, in
praise of the healing properties of antimony, actually thought
that he had discovered the Elixir of Life in tartrate of antimony,
more generally known as tartar emetic. He administered large doses
of this turbulent remedy to some ailing monks of his community,
who promptly all died of it.
The main characteristics of the Alchemists is their wonderful
clarity. For instance, when they wish to refer to mercury, they
call it "the green lion," and the "Pontic Sea," which makes it
quite obvious to every one. They attached immense importance to
the herb "Lunary," which no one as yet has ever been able to
discover. Should any one happen to see during their daily walks "a
herb with a black root, and a red and violet stalk, whose leaves
wax and wane with the moon," they will at once know that they have
found a specimen of the rare herb "Lunary.
Pages:
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334