le while, pouring forth
a Flood of Philosophick Mercy,
gave a small particle, as big as a
Rape-Seed, saying: Take of the
greatest Treasure of the World, which
very few great Kings, or
Princes could ever see. But I, saying
my Master, this is so small particle
perhaps will not be sufficient
for tinging four granes of Lead.
He answered; Give it me. I,
accordingly gave it him, conceiving,
good hope of receiving somewhat
a greater particle instead thereof;
but he breaking off the one half almost
of it with his thumb-nayl,
threw it into the fire, and wrapping
the other up in blew paper,
he gave to me, faying, It is yet
sufficient for thee. To which, I with,
a sad Countenance and perplexed
Mind, answered: Ah Sir! What
mean you by this? Before I doubted,
and now I cannot believe,
that so small a quantity of this Medicine
will suffice for transmuting
four grains of Lead; O, said he,
if you cannot rightly handle your
Lead in the Crucible, by reason
of the so very small quantity thereof
then take two drams, or
half an ounce, or a little more of the
lead, for more must not be
tinged, then well may. To him
I again said: I cannot, easily believe
this, viz. that so little of the
Tincture will transmute so great a
quantity of Lead into Gold. But he,
answered; what I say is true. In,
mean, while, I, giving him
great; thanks, inclosed my diminished
and in the Superlative degree
concentrated Treasure, in my
own Casket, saying: To morrow
I will make this Tryal; and give no
notice to any Man thereof, as long as
I live. Not so, not so, answered;
he, but all things, which tend to
the Glory of God Omnipotent,
ought by us, singularly to be declared
to the Sons of Art that we
may live Theosophically, and not
at all dye Sophistically.

Then, I confessed to him; that
when held the Mass of his Medicine, in that
short space of time, I attempted
to raze something there-from with
my Finger Nayl, But I got no
more, than a certain invisible
Atome; and, when I had cleansed
my nayl, and had injected the
collected matter, wrapt in paper,
upon Lead in Flux, I could see no
Transmutation of it into Gold; but
almost the whole Mass of Lead
vanished into Aire, and the
remaining Substance was transmuted into
a Glassy Earth. At the
hearing of this, he smiling, say'd
You could more dexterously play
the Thief, than apply the Tincture.
I wonder, that you, so expert
in the Fire, do no better understand
the fuming Nature of Lead.
F