really cannot say,' replied the man, without moving a muscle;
'you forget, sir, I have been only five hundred years in your
service.' 'Ah, true,' said his master, 'I remember now; it was a
little before your time!' "[2]

In the time of Saint-Germain, only a little over a century ago,
belief in alchemy had almost disappeared, and his extraordinary
tales were probably regarded in the light of amusing stories.
Still there was undoubtedly a lingering suspicion in the minds of
many that this man possessed some peculiar secret. A few
centuries earlier his tales would hardly have been questioned,
for at that time the belief in the existence of this magic
something was so strong that the search for it became almost a
form of mania; and once a man was seized with it, lie gambled
away health, position, and life itself in pursuing the coveted
stake. An example of this is seen in Albertus Magnus, one of the
most learned men of his time, who it is said resigned his
position as bishop of Ratisbon in order that he might pursue his
researches in alchemy.

If self-sacrifice was not sufficient to secure the prize, crime
would naturally follow, for there could be no limit to the price
of the stakes in this game. The notorious Marechal de Reys,
failing to find the coveted stone by ordinary methods of
laboratory research, was persuaded by an impostor that if he
would propitiate the friendship of the devil the secret would be
revealed. To this end De Reys began secretly capturing young
children as they passed his castle and murdering them. When he
was at last brought to justice it was proved that he had murdered
something like a hundred children within a period of three years.