The philosopher, on returning
from his researches in the libraries, would find every thing gone
wrong, and Antonio in despair over the ruins of the whole day's work.
The old man, however, took all quietly, for his had been a life of
experiment and failure.
"We must have patience, my son," would he say, "as all the great
masters that have gone before us have had. Errors, and accidents, and
delays are what we have to contend with. Did not Pontanus err two
hundred times, before he could obtain even the matter on which to
found his experiments? The great Flamel, too, did he not labour
four-and-twenty years, before he ascertained the first agent? What
difficulties and hardships did not Cartilaceus encounter, at the very
threshold of his discoveries? And Bernard de Treves, even after he had
attained a knowledge of all the requisites, was he not delayed full
three years? What you consider accidents, my son, are the machinations
of our invisible enemies. The treasures and golden secrets of nature
are surrounded by spirits hostile to man. The air about us teems with
them. They lurk in the fire of the furnace, in the bottom of the
crucible, and the alembic, and are ever on the alert to take advantage
of those moments when our minds are wandering from intense meditation
on the great truth that we are seeking.
Pages:
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222