From w r y cnrly tiincs gold hns been Iicld in pnrticu-1nr cstecm, and ninii's cflorts to csplnin its nntiirnl occurrencc iintl to producc it, iirt ificinlly pliiyctl ill1 importiint pit in tlic iiltiniiitc foiintlntion of t lic scicncc of clicniistry. Tlic clcvntioii of chemistry to tlic stntus of n scicncc inny bc tlisccrncd ns rccciitly ns tlic sccond linlf of tlic 17th ccntury, \vliilc nlclicnip-tlic pnrcnt of chcniistry-possibly arose in tlic cnrly yenrs of the Christian ern. The tlicorcticnl basis 'of i i l ~l i ~1 i i ~ w s dcrived from tlic vicivs of r\ri.stotlc, 1vho licltl tlirit tlic four so-cnllcil clcmcnts-cnrth, air, fire, iinrl wntcrforinctl the constitiicnts, in diffcrcnt proportioiis, of all bodies. Tlicse clcmcnts wcrc licld to be trnnsmut:iblc, or intcrconrertiblc ; :it tlic s:mc time thcy wcrc closcly nssociatctl wit11 tlic lippotlieticnl ~irimordiiil
Wa. 1
Roger Bocoii of Eiiglund mntter of tlic Ioninn pliilosoplicrs, froin wl~ich nll things wcrc nindc nnd to ~vhicli nll t.liirigs rcturncd. The tlicory of t.he four clciiiciits, however, did iiot originate in Grccce : i t wns known in niiciciit Egypt,, Inditi, iind Chinn long before t81ic risc of Greek civilistit,ion ; it is, in fact, the oldest physical thcory wliich lins coiiic down t o us. 'J'lic bclicf in thc trniisiiiiitiibility of the brisc iiictnls into gold iiiid.silvcr \v:ts a logical conscqucncc of this tthcory, niid it limy bc tlint tlic first tittempts to effect such cliniigcs IVWC mndc in niiciciit Cliiiin.1 Tlic origin of the idcn of the wondcrful trnnsmuting iigciit known ns tlic Philosoplicr's Stoiic is cqunlly vngiie, altliougli it his bccn nttributcd $0 Alcsnndriiin :iiitl Nco-Plntonist rlnbblings in mngic, nnd to an imnghied analogy bctwccn tho nlclicmicnl doctriiic of' tmnsiiiuttition nncl tlic mysticnl doctriiic of tlic rcgciicrntion of man.
A lectiirc glvrii to tho Tliuiuua Young Club, Ciin~l~rlilge, oil Llirreli U, 1030.