11-16-2023, 10:01 PM
In his Curiosities of Literatutre.
"Mrs. Thomas, the Corinna of Dryden, in her Life, has recorded one of the delusions of alchymy. An infatuated lover of this delusive art met with one who tended to have the power of transmuting lead to gold; that is, in their language, the imperfect metals to the perfect one. The hermetic philosopher required only the materials, and time, to perform his golden operations. He was taken to the country residence of his patroness. A long laboratory was built, and that his labours might not be impeded by any disturbance, no one was permitted to enter into it. His door was contrived to turn on a pivot; so that, unseen and unseeing. his meals were conveyed to him without distracting the sublime meditations of the sage."
https://knarf.english.upenn.edu/EtAlia/disraeli.html
"Mrs. Thomas, the Corinna of Dryden, in her Life, has recorded one of the delusions of alchymy. An infatuated lover of this delusive art met with one who tended to have the power of transmuting lead to gold; that is, in their language, the imperfect metals to the perfect one. The hermetic philosopher required only the materials, and time, to perform his golden operations. He was taken to the country residence of his patroness. A long laboratory was built, and that his labours might not be impeded by any disturbance, no one was permitted to enter into it. His door was contrived to turn on a pivot; so that, unseen and unseeing. his meals were conveyed to him without distracting the sublime meditations of the sage."
https://knarf.english.upenn.edu/EtAlia/disraeli.html