ALC (57) ALC
ALCAID
ALCALI
ALCALIZATION
ALCANTARA
ALCHYMY, or ALCHEMY, a higher or more refined kind ot Chymistry, employ'd in the more mysterious Researches of the Art. See CHYMYSTRY.
The Word is compounded of the Arabic Particle of Augmentation, Al, and the Latin Chymia, Egyptian Kemia, or Greek χuμια, Chymistry. The Name Alchymy is no lon long standing, The first time it occurs, is in Julius Firmicus Maternus, an Author who lived under Constantine the Great, and who in his Mathesis, C. XV. Speaking of the influences of the Heavenly Bodies, affirms, « that if the Moon be in the House oh Saturn, at the Time a Child is born, he shall be skill’d in Alchymy ».
The great Objtects or Ends pursued by Alchymy, are, 1°, The making of Gold ; wich is attempted three differents ways ; by Separation ; by Maturation ; and by Transmutation ; wich last is to be effected by means of what they call the Philosopher’s Stone. See GOLD. – SEE also TRANSMUTATION, PHILOSOPHER’S Stone, &c.
With a view to this End, Alchymy, in fome antient Writers, is also called ωοιητιχη, Poetice, Poetry ; and Хϛνσοποις, Chrysopoetice, q. d. the Art of making Gold. – And hence akso the Artists themselves are called ωοιηται, Poets, Makers, and Хϛνσοποιηται, Gold Makers.
2°, An Universal Medicine, adequate to all Diseases. See ELIXIR.
3°, An Universal Dissolvant, or Alkahest. See ALKAHEST.
4°, An Universal Ferment ; or a Matter wich being applied to any Seed, shall increase its Fecundity to Infinity : If, e. g. it be applied to Gold, it changes the Gold into the Philosopher’s Stone of Silver, i. e. into Matter with transmutes every thing into Silver ; if to a Tree, the Result is the Philosopher’s Stone of the Tree, wich transmutes every thing it is applieds to into Trees, &c. The Origine and Antiquity of Alchemy are much controverted. – If regard may beh ad to Legend and Tradition, it must be as old as the Flood ; nay, Adam himself is represented by the Alchymists as an Adept. A great part, not only the Heathen Mythology, but the Jewish and Christian Revelations, are supposed to refer hereto, Thus, Suidas will have the Secret of the Philosopher’s Stone couch’d in the Fable of the Argonauts : others fin dit in the Books of Moses, &c.
But, if the Æra of the Art be examin’d by the Monuments of History ; i twill lose a deal of this fancied Antiquity. – The learn’d Dane, Ol. Borrichius, has taken immense Pains to prove it known to the antient Greeks and Egyptians. Her. Conringius, on the contrary, with equal Address, undertakes to shew its Novelty.
In effect, not one of the antient Poets, Philosophers, or Physicians, from Homer till 400 Years after Christ, mention any such thing. – The first Author who speaks of making Gold, is Zozismus the Panopolitan, who lived towards the Beggining of the Vth Century, and who was an express Treatise, πεϱι της ίεϱας τϫ χϛγσϫ και τϫ αϛγυςϫ ωοιησιος, Of the Divine Art of making Gold and Silver, still extant in Manuscript in the French King’s Library. The next is Æneas Gareus, another Greek Writer, towards the Close of the same Century, in whom we have the following Passage : « Such as are skill’d in the Ways of Nature, can take Silver and Tin, and changing their Nature, turn ‘en into Gold ». The same Writer tells us, he was « wont to style himself « Хϛυσιχος, Gold-finder, and χημευτης, Chymist ». – Hence we may gather, there was somr such Art in being in that Age ; but, as neither of these Authors relate how long it had been known before, their Testimony will not carry us back beyond the Age wherein they liv’d.
Nor do we find any earlier, plainer Traces of the Universal Medicine : not as Syllable of any such thing in all the Physicians and Naturalists, from Moses to Geber the Arab, who is supposed to have lives in the VIIIth Century. In that Author’s Work, intitled, The Philosopher’s Stone, mention is made of « a Medicine which cures all Lepras : » This Passage some Authors suppose to have given the first Hint of the Matter ; tho Geber himself perhaps, meant no such thing : For, by attending to the Arabick Stile and Diction of this Author, wich abounds in Allegory, it appears highly probable, that by Man he means Gold, and by Lepras or Diseas, the other Metals, wich are all impure comparison of Gold.
Suidas accounts for this total Silence of Authors in respect of Alchymy, by observing, that Diocletian procured all the Books of the antient Egyptians to be burnt ; and that itw as in these the great Mysteries of Chymistry were countained. – Conringius calls this History in question, and asks how Suidas, who lived but 500 Years before us, should know what happen’d 800 Years before him ? To wich Borrichius answers, that he had learnt it of Eudemus, Helladius, Zozimus, Pamphilius, &c. as Suidas himself relates.
Kircher asserts, that the Theory of the Philosopher’s Stone is deliver’d at large in the Fable of Hermes ; and that the antient Egyptians were not ignorant of the Art, but declined to prosecute it. They did need to transmute Gold, they had was of separating it from all kind of Bodies from ; from the very Mud of the Nile, and Stones of all Kinds. But, he adds, these Secrets were never wrote down of made publick, but confined to the Royal Family, and handed down traditionally from Fater to Son.
The chief Point advanced by Borrichius, and on which he seems to lay the greatest Stress, is the Attempt of Caligula, mention’d by Pliny, for procuring Gold bu Distillation from Orpiment. Hist. Nat. L. XXXIII. C 14. – But this, it may be observed, makes very little for that Author’s Pretention ; there being no Transmutation, no Hint of any Philosopher’s Stone, but only a little Gold extracted or separated from the Mineral. See ORPIMENT.
The Principal Authors in Alchymy, are Geber, Friar Bacon, Ripley, Lully, John and Isaac Hollandus, Basil Valentine, Paracelsus, Van Zuchten, and Centivoglio.
ALCMANIAN
ALCOHOL
ALCORAN
