Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1827) Vol 1.djvu/457

 OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 433 prudence and humanity. He caused a diligent enquiry CHAP. to be made " for all the ancient books which treated of _! the admirable art of making gold and silver, and with- He sup- out pity committed them to the flames ; apprehensive, Eookg^of as we are assured, lest the opulence of the Egyptians aichymy. should inspire them with confidence to rebel against the empire**." But if Diocletian had been convinced of the reality of that valuable art, far from extinguishing the memory, he would have converted the operation of it to the benefit of the public revenue. It is much more likely, that his good sense discovered to him the folly of such magnificent pretensions, and that he was desirous of preserving the reason and fortunes of his subjects from the mischievous pursuit. It may be re- Novelty marked, that these ancient books, so liberally ascribed gress^of" to Pythagoras, to Solomon, or to Hermes, were the that art. pious frauds of more recent adepts. The Greeks were inattentive either to the use or to the abuse of chymis- try. In that immense register, where Pliny has de- posited the discoveries, the arts, and the errors of mankind, there is not the least mention of the transmu- tation of metals ; and the persecution of Diocletian is the first authentic event in the history of aichymy. The conquest of Egypt by the Arabs diffused that vain science over the globe. Congenial to the avarice of the human heart, it was studied in China as in Eu- rope, with equal eagerness, and with equal success. The darkness of the middle ages ensured a favourable reception to every tale of wonder ; and the revival of learning gave new vigour to hope, and suggested more specious arts of deception. Philosophy, with the aid of experience, has at length banished the study of ai- chymy ; and the present age, however desirous of riches, is content to seek them by the humbler means of commerce and industry ®. The reduction of Egypt was immediately followed war. ^ John Antioch. in Excerp. Valesian. p. 834; Suidas in Diocletian. philosophical compiler, La Mothe le Vayer, torn. i. p. 327 — 353. VOL. I. F f
 * See a short history and confutation of aichymy, in the works of that