Page:The Wentworth Papers 1715-1739.djvu/29

 have sprung over the bridge ; for the Duke desired I'd go alone with him thither that we might talk of what was done and what was next to be done."

Among the Godolphin Papers in the British Museum is a long letter from Lord Raby to Godolphin, dated Nov. i6,

1704, in which he says that though he has always laughed at those chemists " who pretend to make or extract gold where nature has placed none," and he was very cautious what propositions he submitted to his lordship, " whose nice pene- tration and judgment will quickly see what are reasonable and what are fictions," yet he cannot help laying before him a " seeming extravagant proposal " from a man of very good estate in Prussia, and related to two or three chief ministers there. The proposal is set forth at great length, and with apparent good faith, by Lord Raby : — " out of a marke of fine silver which is worth about 50 shillings he will extract every two months the worth of a ducat in gold, and the silver shall not be diminished," the ducat being valued at 9s. 6d. in England — and the author of it, of whose honour and perfect sanity Lord Raby seems fully assured, is anxious to get over to England, unknown to his family and the Prussian Government, to carry out his discovery of this possible transmutation of metals on a very large scale. There is another letter on the subject dated February 4,

1705, which begins —

" I could not but smile at the conclusion of your Lordship's letter, that you should mention my being ever an instrument of making your fortune ; but it may very well happen, and I hope it will, that your Lordship may make mine, which wants greatly an addition ; and if this project hits or fails, I shall rely upon your lordship's favour to make mine, for I am sure you shall ever find me a faithful humble servant of yours. The gentleman grew very impatient for an answer, and is now extremely pleased with yours." After giving a few more particulars of this wonderful project, he desires Lord Godolphin to keep the whole matter secret, for the sake of Lord Raby's reputation if it fails, and for the man's sake if it

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