shew me the other Way that I am so passionately desirous of; but at last God has put it into my Mind to apply myself to you, a Man of as much Piety as Learning; your Learning qualifies you to answer my Request with Ease, and your Piety will dispose you to help a Christian Brother, whose Life is in your Hands.  To make the Matter short, when this crafty Fellow, with such Expressions as these, had clear’d himself from all Suspicion of a Design, and had gain’d Credit, that he understood one Way perfectly well, Balbinus’s Mind began to have an Itch to be meddling.  And at last, when he could hold no longer, Away with your Methods, says he, of Curtation, the Name of which I never heard before, I am so far from understanding it.  Tell me sincerely, Do you throughly understand Longation?  Phoo! says he, perfectly well; but I don’t love the Tediousness of it.  Then Balbinus asked him, how much Time it wou’d take up.  Too much, says he; almost a whole Year; but in the mean Time it is the safest Way.  Never trouble yourself about that, says Balbinus, although it should take up two Years, if you can but depend upon your Art.  To shorten the Story:  They came to an Agreement, that the Business should be set on foot privately in Balbinus’s, House, upon this Condition, that he should find Art, and Balbinus Money; and the Profit should be divided between them, although the Imposter modestly offered that Balbinus should have the whole Gain.  They both took an Oath of Secrecy, after the Manner of those that are initiated into mysterious Secrets; and presently Money is paid down for the Artist to buy Pots, Glasses, Coals, and other Necessaries for furnishing the Laboratory:  This Money our Alchymist lavishes away on Whores, Gaming, and Drinking.

Phi. This is one Way, however, of changing the Species of Things.

La.  Balbinus pressing him to fall upon the Business; he replies, Don’t you very well know, that what’s well begun is half done? It is a great Matter to have the Materials well prepar’d.  At last he begins to set up the Furnace; and here there was Occasion for more Gold, as a Bait to catch more:  For as a Fish is not caught without a Bait, so Alchymists must cast Gold in, before they can fetch Gold out.  In the mean Time, Balbinus was busy in his Accounts; for he reckoned thus, if one Ounce made fifteen, what would be the Product of two thousand; for that was the Sum that he determined to spend.  When the Alchymist had spent this Money and two Months Time, pretending to be wonderfully busy about the Bellows and the Coals, Balbinus enquired of him, whether the Business went forward?  At first he made no Answer; but at last he urging the Question, he made him Answer, As all great Works do; the greatest Difficulty of which is, in entring upon them:  He pretended he had made a Mistake in buying the Coals, for he had bought Oaken ones, when they should have been Beechen or Fir ones.  There was