The 48 Laws Of Power

withthe

republicfunding

his

banquets,

his

expensive

clothes,

and

all

his

otherwhims.Akindof

alchemy

fever

spreadthrough

Venice.Onstreet

corners,

hawkers wouldsell

coal,

distillingapparatus,

bellows,

how—to

booksonthe

subject.Everyonebegan

to

practicealchemyw-everyone

ex—

ceptBragadino.

Thealchemistseemedto

beinno

hurry

to

beginmanufacturing

the

gold

thatwouldsaveVenice

fromruin.

Strangelyenough

this

only

in-

creasedhis

popularity

and

following;peoplethronged

fromalloverEu-

rope,

even

Asia,

tomeetthisremarkableman.Monthswent

by,

with

gifts

pouring

into

Bragadino

fromallsides.

Still

he

gave

no

sign

ofthemiracle

thattheVenetians

confidentlyexpected

himto

produce.Eventually

thecit-

izens

began

to

growimpatient,wondering

ifhewouldwaitforever.Atfirst

thesenatorswarnedthemnotto

hurry

him-—-hewasa

capricious

devil,

whoneededtobe

cajoled.Finally,though,

the

nobilitybegan

towonder

too,

andthesenatecameunder

pressure

toshowareturn

onthe

city’s

ba.l~

looning

investment.

Bragadino

had

only

scorn

forthe

doubters,

buthe

responded

tothem.

He

had,

he

said,

alreadydeposited

inthe

city’s

mintthe

mysterious

sub-

stancewithwhichhe

multipliedgold.

Hecouldusethissubstance

up

allat

once,

and

produce

doublethe

gold,

but

themore

slowly

the

process

took

place,

themoreitwould

yield.

If

leftalone

for

seven

years,

sealedin

a

cas

ket,
thesubstancewould
multiply

the

gold

inthemint

thirty

timesover.

Mostofthesenators

agreed

towaitto

reap

the

gold

mine

Bragadino

promised.

Others,however,

were

angry:

sevenmore

years

ofthismanliv-

ingroyally

atthe

publictrough!

And

many

ofthe

commoncitizens

of

Veniceechoedthesesentiments.

Finally

thealchemist‘s

enemiesdemanded

he

produce

a

proof

of

hisskills:asubstantialamountof

gold,

andsoon.

Lofty,apparently

devotedtohis

art,

Bragadino

responded

that

Venice,

inits

impatience,

had

betrayed

him,

andwouldthereforelosehisservices.

Heleft

town,

going

firstto

nearby

Padua,then,

in

1590,

to

Munich,

at

the

invitationoftheDuke

of

Bavaria,who,

liketheentire

city

of

Venice,

had

known

great

wealthbut

had

falleninto

bankruptcythrough

hisown

profli-

gacy,

and

hoped

to

regain

hisfortune

through

thefamousalchemist’sser-

vices.Andso

Bragadino

resumedthecomfortable

arrangement

hehad

knownin

Venice,

andthesame

patternrepeated

itself.

Interpretation

The

youngCypriot

Mamugna

hadlivedinVeniceforseveral

years

before

reincamating

himselfasthealchemist

Bragadino.

Hesaw

how

gloom

had

settledonthe

city,

how

everyone

was

hoping

fora

redemption

fromsome

indefinitesource.Whileothercharlatansmastered

everyday

consbasedon

sleight

of

hand,

Mamugna

masteredhumannature.WithVeniceashistar-

get

from the

start,

hetraveled

abroad,

madesome

moneythrough

his

alchemy

scams,

andthenreturnedto

Italy,settingupshop

inBrescia.

Therehecreated

a

reputation

thatheknewwould

spread

toVenice.From

a

distance,

in

fact,

hisauraof

power

wouldbe

all

themore

impressive.

Atfirst

Mamugna

didnotuse

vulgar

demonstrationstoconvince

peo-

formerlystrangled

his

wife

andson.Acourtier

lhouglztfit

In

inform

the

bereavedmormrch,and

even

aflirnieri

thathe

had

seenthe

staglaugh.

The

rageoft:king,says

Solomon,

is

rerrible,

and

especially

that

of

a

liomking.“I’itiful

fnr!',.rler.v"'

he

exclaimed,

"dares!thou

laugh

whenallaroundare

dissolvedin(ears?We

willno!soilour

royal

(lawswill!

Ihyprofane

hlood.’Do

thou,

brave

wuljiavenge

our

queen,

bylmmola!ing1lii.s'

traitor[0her

august

mzmes.

"

Hercaupon

the

stag

rcpllred:

"Sire.

themm»

forweeping

is

passed;

grief

ishere

superflu-

(ms.Your

revered

spouseappeared

tome

butnow.

reparing

ona

bed

of

roses;

I

inslanzly

rzacognizcd

her.‘I-'n'erzd.‘

saidsheto

me.

‘have

donewith

!lm‘funereal

pomp,

ceasethese

useless‘tears.Ihave

tastedrtIhousaml

delights‘

inthe

E[V.VitIIl

fields,

conwsm

5

with

rh(_:.s'e‘whoaresuimslike

myself

1,431the

kings

despair

remain

for

sometime

irrzcheckezl,

iz

gratijlar

me.

‘"

Sr‘ar(‘e*ly

hadhe

spoken,

when

every

oneshouted:“A

miracle!armracle!"

The

wing,

instead

of

beingpimishea‘,

re-

ceivedalmnrlrome

D0butentertaina

king

with

dre1m1s,flal1er

him.andtellhima

few

pleasantfantastic

lies:

wlmrewrIlls

imIigna-

tiun

againstyoumay

be.

hewillswallowthe

bail,andmake

you

his‘

dearesr

friend.

l-}\lll.l‘S,

h=..et.\:on1,».FONTAINE.

l62l»l(w‘)5

LAW 82 265