Upontheothers，hewasfoundguilty；andsentencedtobebanishedthekingdom，andtopaytheenormousfineoffourhundredthousandcrowns。
　　ItwasprovedthathehadforgedtheKing’sseal；that，inhiscapacityofMasteroftheMintofBourges，hehaddebased，toaverygreatextent，thegoldandsilvercoinoftherealm；andthathehadnothesitatedtosupplytheTurkswitharmsandmoneytoenablethemtocarryonwaragainsttheirChristianneighbours，forwhichservicehehadreceivedthemostmunificentrecompences。CharlesVII。wasdeeplygrievedathiscondemnation，andbelievedtothelastthathewasinnocent。ByhismeansthefinewasreducedwithinasumwhichJacquesCoeurcouldpay。Afterremainingforsometimeinprison，hewasliberated，andleftFrancewithalargesumofmoney，partofwhich，itwasalleged，wassecretlypaidhimbyCharlesoutoftheproduceofhisconfiscatedestates。HeretiredtoCyprus，wherehediedabout1460，therichestandmostconspicuouspersonageoftheisland。
　　ThewritersuponalchymyallclaimJacquesCoeurasamemberoftheirfraternity，andtreatasfalseandlibellousthemorerationalexplanationofhiswealthwhichtherecordsofhistrialafford。
　　PierreBorel，inhis“AntiquitesGauloises，“maintainstheopinionthatJacqueswasanhonestman，andthathemadehisgoldoutofleadandcopperbymeansofthephilosopher’sstone。Thealchymicadeptsingeneralwereofthesameopinion；buttheyfounditdifficulttopersuadeevenhiscontemporariesofthefact。Posterityisstilllesslikelytobelieveit。
　　Manyotherpretenderstothesecretsofthephilosopher’sstoneappearedineverycountryinEurope，duringthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturies。Thepossibilityoftransmutationwassogenerallyadmitted，thateverychemistwasmoreorlessanalchymist。Germany，Holland，Italy，Spain，Poland，France，andEnglandproducedthousandsofobscureadepts，whosupportedthemselves，inthepursuitoftheirchimera，bythemoreprofitableresourcesofastrologyanddivination。
　　ThemonarchsofEuropewerenolesspersuadedthantheirsubjectsofthepossibilityofdiscoveringthephilosopher’sstone。HenryVI。andEdwardIV。ofEnglandencouragedalchymy。InGermany，theEmperorsMaximilian，Rodolph，andFredericII。devotedmuchoftheirattentiontoit；andeveryinferiorpotentatewithintheirdominionsimitatedtheirexample。ItwasacommonpracticeinGermany，amongthenoblesandpettysovereigns，toinviteanalchymisttotakeuphisresidenceamongthem，thattheymightconfinehiminadungeontillhemadegoldenoughtopaymillionsforhisransom。Manypoorwretchessufferedperpetualimprisonmentinconsequence。AsimilarfateappearstohavebeenintendedbyEdwardII。forRaymondLulli，who，uponthepretencethathewastherebyhonoured，wasaccommodatedwithapartmentsintheTowerofLondon。Hefoundoutintimethetrickthatwasabouttobeplayedhim，andmanagedtomakehisescape，someofhisbiographerssay，byjumpingintotheThames，andswimmingtoavesselthatlaywaitingtoceivehim。Inthesixteenthcentury，thesamesystemwaspursued，aswillbeshownmorefullyinthelifeofSetontheCosmopolite，inthesucceedingchapter。
　　Thefollowingisacatalogueofthechiefauthorsuponalchymy，whoflourishedduringthisepoch，andwhoselivesandadventuresareeitherunknownorareunworthyofmoredetailednotice。JohnDowston，anEnglishman，livedin1315，andwrotetwotreatisesonthephilosopher’sstone。Richard，or，assomecallhim，Robert，alsoanEnglishman，livedin1330，andwroteaworkentitled“CorrectoriumAlchymiae，“whichwasmuchesteemedtillthetimeofParacelsus。InthesameyearlivedPeterofLombardy，whowrotewhathecalleda“CompleteTreatiseupontheHermeticScience，“anabridgementofwhichwasafterwardspublishedbyLacini，amonkofCalabria。In1330themostfamousalchymistofPariswasoneOdomare，whosework“DePracticaMagistri“was，foralongtime，ahand-bookamongthebrethrenofthescience。JohndeRupecissa，aFrenchmonkoftheorderofSt。Francis，flourishedin1357，andpretendedtobeaprophetaswellasanalchymist。SomeofhispropheciesweresodisagreeabletoPopeInnocentVI，thatthePontiffdeterminedtoputastoptothem，bylockinguptheprophetinthedungeonsoftheVatican。Itisgenerallybelievedthathediedthere，thoughthereisnoevidenceofthefact。Hischiefworksarethe“BookofLight，“the“FiveEssences，“the“HeavenofPhilosophers，“andhisgrandwork“DeConfectioneLapidis。“Hewasnotthoughtashininglightamongtheadepts。Ortholaniwasanotherpretender，ofwhomnothingisknown，butthatheexercisedtheartsofalchymyandastrologyatParis，shortlybeforethetimeofNicholasFlamel。Hisworkonthepracticeofalchymywaswritteninthatcityin1358。IsaacofHollandwrote，itissupposed，aboutthistime；andhissonalsodevotedhimselftothescience。Nothingworthrepeatingisknownoftheirlives。Boerhaavespeakswithcommendationofmanypassagesintheirworks，andParacelsusesteemedthemhighly:thechiefare“DeTripliciOrdineElixirisetLapidisTheoria，“printedatBernein1608；and“MineraliaOpera，seudeLapidePhilosophico，“printedatMiddleburgin1600。
　　Theyalsowroteeightotherworksuponthesamesubject。Koffstky，aPole，wroteanalchymicaltreatise，entitled“TheTinctureofMinerals，“abouttheyear1488。Inthislistofauthorsaroyalnamemustnotbeforgotten。CharlesVI。ofFrance，oneofthemostcredulousprincesoftheday，whosecourtabsolutelyswarmedwithalchymists，conjurers，astrologers，andquacksofeverydescription，madeseveralattemptstodiscoverthephilosopher’sstone，andthoughtheknewsomuchaboutit，thathedeterminedtoenlightentheworldwithatreatise。Itiscalledthe“RoyalWorkofCharlesVI。ofFrance，andtheTreasureofPhilosophy。“ItissaidtobetheoriginalfromwhichNicholasFlameltooktheideaofhis“DesirDesire。“
　　LengletduFresnoysaysitisveryallegorical，andutterlyincomprehensible。Foramorecompletelistofthehermeticphilosophersofthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturies，thereaderisreferredtothethirdvolumeofLenglet’sHistoryalreadyquoted。
　　Duringthesixteenthandseventeenthcenturies，thesearchforthephilosopher’sstonewascontinuedbythousandsoftheenthusiasticandthecredulous；butagreatchangewasintroducedduringthisperiod。
　　Theeminentmenwhodevotedthemselvestothestudy，totallychangeditsaspect，andreferredtothepossessionoftheirwondrousstoneandelixir，notonlytheconversionofthebaseintothepreciousmetals，butthesolutionofallthedifficultiesofothersciences。TheypretendedthatbyitsmeansmanwouldbebroughtintoclosercommunionwithhisMaker；thatdiseaseandsorrowwouldbebanishedfromtheworld；andthat“themillionsofspiritualbeingswhowalktheearthunseen“wouldberenderedvisible，andbecomethefriends，companions，andinstructorsofmankind。Intheseventeenthcenturymoreespecially，thesepoeticalandfantasticdoctrinesexcitedthenoticeofEurope；andfromGermany，wheretheyhadbeenfirstdisseminatedbyRosencreutz，spreadintoFranceandEngland，andranawaywiththesoundjudgmentofmanyclever，buttooenthusiastic，searchersforthetruth。Paracelsus，Dee，andmanyothersoflessnote，werecaptivatedbythegraceandbeautyofthenewmythology，whichwasarisingtoadorntheliteratureofEurope。Mostofthealchymistsofthesixteenthcentury，althoughignorantoftheRosicruciansasasect，were，insomedegree，tincturedwiththeirfancifultenets:butbeforewespeakmorefullyofthesepoeticalvisionaries，itwillbenecessarytoresumethehistoryofthehermeticfollywhereweleftoffintheformerchapter，andtracethegradualchangethatstoleoverthedreamsoftheadepts。Itwillbeseenthattheinfatuationincreasedratherthandiminishedastheworldgrewolder。
　　Amongthealchymistswhowereborninthefifteenth，anddistinguishedthemselvesinthesixteenthcentury，thefirst，inpointofdate，isJohnAurelioAugurello。HewasbornatRiminiin1441，andbecameProfessorofthebelleslettresatVeniceandTrevisa。Hewasearlyconvincedofthetruthofthehermeticscience，andusedtopraytoGodthathemightbehappyenoughtodiscoverthephilosopher’sstone。Hewascontinuallysurroundedbytheparaphernaliaofchemistry，andexpendedallhiswealthinthepurchaseofdrugsandmetals。Hewasalsoapoet，butoflessmeritthanpretensions。His“Chrysopeia，“inwhichliepretendedtoteachtheartofmakinggold，hededicatedtoPopeLeoX，inthehopethatthePontiffwouldrewardhimhandsomelyforthecompliment；butthePopewastoogoodajudgeofpoetrytobepleasedwiththeworsethanmediocrityofhispoem，andtoogoodaphilosophertoapproveofthestrangedoctrineswhichitinculcated:hewas，therefore，farfromgratifiedatthededication。Itissaid，thatwhenAugurelloappliedtohimforareward，thePope，withgreatceremonyandmuchapparentkindnessandcordiality，drewanemptypursefromhispocket，andpresentedittothealchymist，saying，thatsincehewasabletomakegold，themostappropriatepresentthatcouldbemadehim，wasapursetoputitin。
　　Thisscurvyrewardwasallthatthepooralchymistevergoteitherforhispoetryorhisalchymy。Hediedinastateofextremepoverty，intheeighty-thirdyearofhisage。