I
began to doubt in the truth of the
matter. Besides, my Wife also,
a very curious Searcher in the Art
of that Laudable man, came to
me, troubling me, by reason of
the Philosophick Art, cited in that
aforesaid Severe, and Honest man;
saying, Go to, let us try, I pray
thee, the Verity of the work, ac
cording to what that man said.
For otherwise, I certainly shall
not sleep all this night. But I answered;
I pray let us deferr it till
to morrow; perhaps the man will
come then. Nevertheless, when
I had ordered my Son to kindle the
fire; these thoughts arose in me;
That man indeed, otherwise in his
discourses so Divine, is now found
the first time guilty of a Lye. A
second time, when I would make
Experiment of my Stollen Matter
hid under my Nayl, but to no purpose,
because the Lead was not
transmuted into Gold. Lastly
a third time, he gave me so very
little of the Matter, for tinging
so great a Mass of Lead; that he
almost drove me to Desperation.
Notwithstanding these thoughts,
I commanded yellow Wax to be
brought, wherein to wrap the
Matter, and finding Lead, I cut
off half an Ounce, or six Drachmes.
My Wife wrapped the Matter of
the Stone in the Wax, and when
the Lead was in Flux, she cast
in that little Mass, which, with
Hissing and Flatuosity, so performed
its Operation in the Crucible
well closed; as in one quarter of
an hour, the whole Mass of Lead
was transmuted into the best
Gold. Certainly, had I lived in
the Age of Ovid, I could not have
believed, any Metamorphosis more
rare, than this of the Chimical
Art; but if I could behold things
with the hundred Eyes of Argus,
I should scarcely see any work of
Nature more admirable, for this
Lead, mixt with the Stone of the
Wise, and in the Fire melted,
demonstrated to us a most beautiful
colour, yea, I say, it was most green;
but when I poured it out into a
[Cone, or] fusory Cup, it received
a colour like Blood, and
when it waxed cold, shined with
the colour of the best Gold: I, and
all who were present with me, being
amazed, made what haste we,
could with the Aurificate Lead
(even before it was through cold)
to a Gold-Smith, who after a precious
Examen, judged it to be
Gold most excellent, and that in
the whole world, better could not
be found; withall, adding, that for
every Ounce of such Gold, he
would give 50 Florens.

The next day, the rumour of
this wonderful Metallick Transmutation
was spread all over our
Hague; whence many illu