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177
The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry
·
M. M. Pattison Muir
91
In
Messina
he
met
a
mysterious
person
whom
he
calls
Altotas,
and
from
whom,
he
says
in
his
Memoir,
he
learnt
much.
The
following
account
of
the
meeting
of
Balsamo
and
the
stranger
is
taken
from
Waite's
book:
"As
he
was
promenading
one
day
near
the
jetty
at
the
extremity
of
the
port
he
encountered
an
individual
singularly
habited
and
possessed
of
a
most
remarkable
countenance.
This
person,
aged
apparently
about
fifty
years,
seemed
to
be
an
Armenian,
though,
according
to
other
accounts,
he
was
a
Spaniard
or
Greek.
He
wore
a
species
of
caftan,
a
silk
bonnet,
and
the
extremities
of
his
breeches
were
concealed
in
a
pair
of
wide
boots.
In
his
left
hand
he
held
a
parasol,
and
in
his
right
the
end
of
a
cord,
to
which
was
attached
a
graceful
Albanian
greyhound....
Cagliostro
saluted
this
grotesque
being,
who
bowed
slightly,
but
with
satisfied
dignity.
'You
do
not
reside
in
Messina,
signor?'
he
said
in
Sicilian,
but
with
a
marked
foreign
accent.
Cagliostro
replied
that
he
was
tarrying
for
a
few
days,
and
they
began
to
converse
on
the
beauty
of
the
town
and
on
its
advantageous
situation,
a
kind
of
Oriental
imagery
individualising
the
eloquence
of
the
stranger,
whose
remarks
were,
moreover,
adroitly
adorned
with
a
few
appropriate
compliments."
Although
the
stranger
said
he
received
no
one
at
his
house
he
allowed
Cagliostro
to
visit
him.
After
various
mysterious
doings
the
two
went
off
to
Egypt,
and
afterwards
to
Malta,
where
they
performed
many
wonderful
deeds
before
the
Grand
Master,
who
was
much
impressed.
At
Malta
Altotas
died,
or,
at
anyrate,
vanished.
Cagliostro
then
travelled
for
some
time,
and
was
well
received
by
noblemen,
ambassadors,
and
others
in
high
position.
At
Rome
he
fell
in
love
with
a
young
and
beautiful
lady,
Lorenza
Feliciani,
and
married
her.
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