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Alchemy’ s Search for the Elixir 煉金術士的仙丹夢 撰文及考題設計 British Council 英協教育中心 Brian Welter 中譯 陳怡君 （中央社編譯） 圖 Wikimedia Commons
1 It’s a scene right out of Harry Potter. In a dark
of years, playing a key role in the foundations of
room with a roaring fireplace to his back, a white-
modern chemistry. Alchemists, the people who
bearded man with a long black robe pours a
studied and experimented in this field, couldn’ t just
mysterious liquid from a fancy glass bottle. The
claim something as true. They attempted to discover
liquid collects in a large metal bowl before dis-
the truth through observing nature like modern
appearing through long pipes. It drips out at the
scientists do.
end, a different colour and smell than when it was
這位男子正在進行所謂的煉金術，是一門比科
poured in. All his life, the man has been working
學革命還早的學問。煉金術的起源可追溯至3,000
on perfecting that liquid, the drink that would cure
年前，並在世界各地持續發展了數百年，為現代化
everything. Has he finally succeeded?
學的奠基扮演了舉足輕重的角色。煉金術士，是研
這是《哈利波特》的場景：在黑暗的斗室一爐熊
究並實驗煉金術的學者，他們並不隨便地論證某
熊燃燒的壁火前，一位蓄著白鬚、罩著長黑袍的男
觀點為真；就像現代科學家一般，他們藉由觀察自
子，從一罐造型特殊的玻璃瓶中倒出神祕液體。這
然現象，嘗試釐清真相。
些液體蓄集於一大盆金屬碗中，再注於長管內。最
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後滴出時，其色澤與氣味皆與當初倒入時完全不
Alchemists’ many interests included medicine,
同。這名男子終其一生致力於研發此液體，這種藥
physics, and astrology. These individuals had two
水能治癒任何疾病。他最後有成功嗎？
main aims. First, some wanted to turn ordinary
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metals such as copper into gold and silver. Second,
The man was practicing alchemy, which was a
some wanted to find a medicine that would cure
branch of knowledge that pre-dated the Scientific
everything and even let people live indefinitely.
Revolution. Alchemy appeared as early as three
They called that unique drink an elixir.
thousand years ago and continued to develop in
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many different parts of the world for hundreds
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煉金術士擁有廣泛的興趣包括醫學、物理、與
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本文由BRITISH COUNCIL–全球最值得信賴的英語 教學機構–提供，網址：www.britishcouncil.org.tw
成：土、風、火與水。有趣的是，他們更 認為存在「第五元素」，維持這四大元 素的完美平衡。有些作者稱之為「精 粹」，是由拉丁語quinta essentia而來， quinta就是五的意思。煉金術士對於這 第五元素的性質仍有爭議。有些認為 它就是四大元素的絕妙平衡。
5 If the fifth element was so important, whe re cou ld it be lo cat e d? Some thought that it could only be seen in the heavens, where it existed in a pure form and made up the stars. Others believed 電影《哈利波特》劇中呈現了煉金的情景。圖為位於英國的華納兄弟工作室中的 《哈利波特》片場。
that it could also be discovered on Earth in nature in an impure form. These
星象。他們有兩個目標：第一，他們想要將尋常金
alchemists believed that the pure quintessence could
屬，例如銅，轉變成金或銀；第二，他們想要尋找
be produced in a process similar to making whiskey
一種能治百命使人長生不老的藥品。他們稱這獨
or vodka which is called distillation.
特的藥水為「仙丹」。
如果第五元素是如此重要，那它會存在哪裡？
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有些 人認為只有 在 天 堂才會被發 現，以 純化的
Why did western alchemists believe that an elixir
形式構成星宿；有人認為它可以不純的形式在大
was possible? Based on the writings of ancient
自然中存在。這 些煉金術 士相信 純化的精 粹是
Greek philosophers and Egyptian alchemists, they
可以藉由類似 釀 威士忌、伏特加的蒸餾法來 製
claimed that the world was composed of four basic
造的。
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elements: earth, wind, fire, and water. Interestingly, they also believed in a fifth element that contained
Not surprisingly, medieval European alchemists,
a perfect balance of these four basic ones. Some
working in the years 1100-1400, spent a lot of their
writers called that the “quintessence,” from the
time trying to learn about distillation processes.
Latin quinta essentia, where quinta means five.
Many alchemical writings contain pictures or
Alchemists debated the exact nature of this fifth
drawings of the equipment and the steps that were
element. Some saw it as a perfect balance of the four
required.
other elements.
不意外地，在中古世紀約西元1100-1400年間的
為什麼西方的煉金術士深信仙丹之說是可行的
歐洲煉金術士，花了他們大半輩子時間研究蒸餾
呢？根據古老希臘哲學家與埃及煉金術士的手稿
技法。許多煉金術士的手稿亦包括了器材的繪圖
記載，他們認為這個世界是由四大基本元素所組
以及需要的步驟。
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strange is because the science was never taught at
Alchemy in Europe went through a boom period
universities. Physics and medicine were established
after many alchemical writings were translated
and respected scientific disciplines in the Middle
from Arabic into Latin, the language of learning of
Ages, and astronomy, the scientific study of the
the Middle Ages, in the 1100s. One of the leading
stars and planets, was needed in order to establish
alchemists was the Englishman Roger Bacon.
important religious festivals. Alchemy was the
Owing to his religious beliefs, he wanted to improve
forgotten science. Therefore, alchemists never
the world. He hoped to find an elixir to end much
succeeded at establishing a standard of practice.
human suffering. Many people today see him as
煉金術士不被視為正統最主要的理由是因為這
one of the greatest scientists of the Western Middle
門學問從未在大學中被教導。物理與醫學是在中
Ages.
古世紀被建立而成為被重視的科學定律，而研究
歐洲的煉金術，在大量煉金術手稿從阿拉伯文
星球與行星的星象學則因需建立重要的宗教節慶
譯成中古世紀的學術語言拉丁文後，進入興旺時
而受到重視；煉金術是一個被遺忘的學問，因此，
期。其中著名的煉金術士之一，即是英國人羅傑•
煉金術士從未成功地建立標準流程。
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貝肯。憑藉著他的宗教信仰，他想要濟世救人。他 希望能找到仙丹配方來終結人們的苦痛。現今許
As isolated individuals with a few books and
多人們仍視他為西方中古世紀最偉大的煉金術士
tools for experiments, some feared alchemists were
之一。
into evil magic. This is regrettable, because their
8 Astrology, the study of the effect of the planets
had been able to get established in universities and
and stars on humans and life on Earth, played an
governments. One basic principle of alchemy that
important role in the study of the elixir for Bacon
lives on in modern science is the belief that a real
and many others. The elixir would only work when
experiment based on real facts would produce the
the stars and planets were in a positive relation-
same result by different individuals. Of course,
ship to Earth. Astrology gave alchemists a handy
that would have included the same astrological
explanation as to why their elixirs failed to cure ill
conditions, something that modern science rejects.
health: The stars weren’ t in the right position!
Nonetheless, just as with moder n chemistr y,
星象學，研究星球與星宿對地球人類生命的影 響之學問，在貝肯與其他人對仙丹的研究中亦扮
knowledge produced from alchemy came through trial and error.
演了重要的角色。仙丹只有在星宿與星球在對地
有些被孤立而猜忌的煉金術士，也許擁有幾本
球達到正面關係時才有效。當煉金術士的仙丹無
書與實驗器材，於是走偏進入邪魔歪道。這是很
法有效治癒疾病時，星象學的理論給了煉金術士
可惜的，因為若他們能在大學與政府內建立一套
一個很方便的理由：星宿並不在正確的位置上。
學問，他們對於真理的追求也許可以得到資助。一
9 One reason alchemists were often regarded as
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search for the truth could have been aided if they
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2017
個煉金術亦通用於現代科學的基本原則是：一個 根據事實而設計的實驗是可以由不同個人進行而
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得到相同的結果；當然，這可能還得包括相同的星
believed that nature was good and beautiful and that
象，這點現代科學並不採信。儘管如此，就像現代
it held great and wonderful secrets waiting to be
化學一樣，煉金術的知識是建立在試誤學習上。
discovered.
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不論煉金術是否是一門科學，一道魔術，或是
Whether alchemy was a science, a for m of
一門爭議性的類化學，煉金術士值得肯定的一點
magic, or simply a kind of pre-chemistry remains
是他們對於自然的熱愛與尊敬。他們深信自然是
under debate. One thing that is to be admired about
善良而美好的─藏著偉大而美妙的祕密等待著
alchemists is their love and respect of nature. They
被發掘。
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雅思考試模擬試題 IELTS questions
Complete the sentences with no more than three words and/or a number: 1. Alchemists studied the movement of the stars as well as _________________________ 2. Alchemists tried to follow the science of Greek scholars and ______________________ from two-to-three thousand years ago. 3. Quinta is the Latin expression for _________________________________________ 4. Alchemy writings included pictures and photos of equipment and___________________ 5. Alchemists between 1100 and 1400 worked hard learning about ____________________ 6. In order to help humans, an English alchemist sought ____________________________ 7. More important than alchemy were the sciences of astronomy, _____________________ 8. Similar to the science of today, medieval alchemy believed that they had to use _________ ________________to find the truth.
True, False, or Not given: 9. Alchemists developed the skill of distilling whiskey and vodka in the Middle Ages. 10. Europeans did not know much about alchemy before the twelfth century. 11. Roger Bacon wanted to find the elixir despite his religious beliefs. 12.Medieval alchemists believed that astrology was very important to the success of their elixir. Answers: 1.medicine and physics 2.Egyptian alchemists 3.five 4. required steps 5.distillation / the distillation process 6.(the) elixir / (a) (special) medicine 7.medicine (and) physics 8.observation / experimentation 9.Not given 10.True 11.False 12.True
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