In the olden days, there lived a man whose profession was that of those who call themselves alchemists. This man boasted that he could make gold. Now, when the king of his country heard about this, he had the man come before his throne to tell him about his secret. It was in vain that the man asserted that he did not know anything about it. \u201cSo then I will imprison you as a liar and an impostor\u201d, the king said. \u201cFor this is what you are \u2013 either because you have publicly claimed that you can produce gold although you cannot, or because you claim today that you cannot do it although you can. Just tell us what you need for making gold. You shall have it in your dungeon. As soon as you have completed your work you shall tell us, and if you reveal to us how you have accomplished your task, you shall be released.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now the poor man had plenty of time to try out his alchemist skills. One day he reported to the jailor: \u201cI have discovered something.\u201d \u201cSo what have you discovered?\u201d \u201cI have discovered the secret of how the Chinese produce their porcelain which they sell for gold at our royal court.\u201d The jailor reported this to the king, and the king asked his prisoner to be brought before him once again. After the alchemist had reported his discovery to the king, the king exclaimed: \u201cYou have not discovered how to produce gold, but something which is worth more than gold.\u201d With these words, he asked the guards to set the man free, to clothe him like a nobleman and send him home with precious gifts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the olden days, there lived a man whose profession was that of those who call themselves alchemists. This man boasted that he could make gold. Now, when the king of his country heard about this, he had the man … Continue reading