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177
The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry
·
M. M. Pattison Muir
95
"Alfarabi
was
returning
from
a
pilgrimage
to
Mecca,
when,
passing
through
Syria,
he
stopped
at
the
Court
of
the
Sultan,
and
entered
his
presence,
while
he
was
surrounded
by
numerous
sage
persons,
who
were
discoursing
with
the
monarch
on
the
sciences.
Alfarabi
...
presented
himself
in
his
travelling
attire,
and
when
the
Sultan
desired
he
should
be
seated,
with
astonishing
philosophical
freedom
he
planted
himself
at
the
end
of
the
royal
sofa.
The
Prince,
aghast
at
his
boldness,
called
one
of
his
officers,
and
in
a
tongue
generally
unknown
commanded
him
to
eject
the
intruder.
The
philosopher,
however,
promptly
made
answer
in
the
same
tongue:
'Oh,
Lord,
he
who
acts
hastily
is
liable
to
hasty
repentance.'
The
Prince
was
equally
astounded
to
find
himself
understood
by
the
stranger
as
by
the
manner
in
which
the
reply
was
given.
Anxious
to
know
more
of
his
guest
he
began
to
question
him,
and
soon
discovered
that
he
was
acquainted
with
seventy
languages.
Problems
for
discussion
were
then
propounded
to
the
philosophers,
who
had
witnessed
the
discourteous
intrusion
with
considerable
indignation
and
disgust,
but
Alfarabi
disputed
with
so
much
eloquence
and
vivacity
that
he
reduced
all
the
doctors
to
silence,
and
they
began
writing
down
his
discourse.
The
Sultan
then
ordered
his
musicians
to
perform
for
the
diversion
of
the
company.
When
they
struck
up,
the
philosopher
accompanied
them
on
a
lute
with
such
infinite
grace
and
tenderness
that
he
elicited
the
unmeasured
admiration
of
the
whole
distinguished
assembly.
At
the
request
of
the
Sultan
he
produced
a
piece
of
his
own
composing,
sang
it,
and
accompanied
it
with
great
force
and
spirit
to
the
delight
of
all
his
hearers.
The
air
was
so
sprightly
that
even
the
gravest
philosopher
could
not
resist
dancing,
but
by
another
tune
he
as
easily
melted
them
to
tears,
and
then
by
a
soft
unobtrusive
melody
he
lulled
the
whole
company
to
sleep."
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