Kings & rulers > Kenilworth > Volume 1

168
KENILWORTH.
much of his secrets to be any longer a safe com*
panion. Meanwhile, his name waxed famous, or
rather infamous, and many of those who resorted
to him did so under persuasion that he was a sor¬
cerer. And yet his supposed advance in the occult
sciences, drew to him the secret resort of men too
powerful to be named, for purposes too dangerous
to be mentioned. Men cursed and threatened
him, and bestowed on me, the innocent assistant of
his studies, the nickname of the Devil’s foot-post,
which procured me a volley of stones as soon as
ever I ventured to shew my face in the street of the
village. At length, my master suddenly disappear¬
ed, pretending to me that he was about to visit
his elaboratory in this place, and discharging me to
disturb him till two days were past. When this
period had elapsed, I became anxious, and resorted
to this vault, where I found the fires extinguished
and the utensils in confusion, with a note from the
learned Doboobius, as he was wont to style him¬
self, acquainting me'that we should never meet
again, bequeathing me his chemical apparatus, and
the parchment which I have just put into your
hands, advising me strongly to prosecute the se¬
cret which it contained, which would infallibly
lead me to the discovery of the grand magis-
terium.’’
“ And didst thou follow this sage advice ?” said
Tressilian.
“ Worshipful sir, no,” replied the smith ; “ for
being by nature cautious and suspicious, from
knowing with whom I had to do, I made so many
perquisitions before I ventured even to light a
fire, that I at length discovered a small barrel of
gunpowder, carefully hid beneath the furnace,
with the purpose, no doubt, that as soon as I
should commence the grand work of the trans¬
mutation of metals, the explosion should trans-