Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS

[nablator]

What is intriguing is that the alchemists were trying to transform lead in gold.

Not only. Pseudo-Geber, in the Summa perfectionis, even warns against the foolish who said that lead is in its nature much like gold, before describing the process of turning it into silver.

The Adept could "... transmute into perfect Gold and Silver all the imperfect Metals that are in the whole World; secondly, he may by this Art make precious Stones and Gems, such as cannot be paralelled in Nature, for goodness and greatness. Thirdly and Lastly, he hath a Medicine Universal, both for prolonging Life, and Curing of all Diseases ..." SECRETS Reveal'd: OR, An OPEN ENTRANCE TO THE Shut-Palace of the KING (1645).

When the focus shifted to antimony, because of its similarity to lead, most of the older recipes could be recycled.