nullo modo retrogredi possit. To which he sub-joynes, that he himself had seen much Labour spent upon that Design, but could never see any such Mercury produc’d thereby. And I easily beleeve what he annexes; that he had often seen Detected many tricks and Impostures of Cheating Alchymists. For, the most part of those that are fond of such Charlatans, being unskilfull or Credulous, or both, ’tis very easie for such as have some Skill, much craft, more boldness, and no Conscience, to impose upon them; and therefore, though many profess’d Alchymists*, and divers Persons of Quality have told me that they have made or seen the Mercury of Gold, or of this or that other Metal; yet I have been still apt to fear that either these persons have had a Design to deceive others; or have not had Skill and circumspection enough to keep themselves from being deceived.
You recall to my mind (sayes Carneades) a certain Experiment I once devis’d, innocently to deceive some persons, and let them and others see how little is to be built upon the affirmation of those that are either unskillfull or unwary, when they tell us they have seen Alchymists make the Mercury of this or that Metal; and to make this the more evident, I made my Experiment much more Slight, Short and Simple, than the Chymists usuall processes to Extract Metalline Mercuries; which Operations being commonly more Elaborate and Intricate, and requiring a much more longer time, give the Alchymists a greater opportunity to Cozen, and Consequently are more Obnoxious to the Spectators suspicion. And that wherein I endeavour’d to make my Experiment look the more like a True Analysis, was, that I not only pretended as well as others to extract a Mercury from the Metal I wrought upon, but likewise to separate a large proportion of manifest and inflamable Sulphur. I take then, of the filings of Copper, about a Drachme or two, of common sublimate, powder’d, the like Weight, and Sal Armoniack near about as much as of Sublimate; these three being well mingl’d together I put into a small Vial with a long neck, or, which I find better,