Myshevskiy. It is the elixir-stone.
Golyshkin. So, you are obsessed with the philosophers’ stone?! I must confess you have disappointed me.
Myshevskiy. But why are you speaking so disdainfully about my obsession, professor?
Golyshkin. After all, it is not even a stone if we consider how it looks like – it is a chemical substance. In fact, it is powder required for transmutation of metals into gold.
Myshevskiy. Do you think it really matters how my obsession looks like?
Golyshkin. Sure I do! Doesn’t it matter for you how looks a woman who you are going to conquer. Or speaking this dirty modern slang – to sleep with.
Myshevskiy. How can you compare these two things!?
Golyshkin. Well, perhaps, I am too quick with my conclusions…Perhaps, you are concerned about other properties of the elixir-stone. You know, if one takes this golden drink in small doses – ancient alchemists used to call it аurum potabile – it is able to cure any disease, rejuvenate human body and even prolong life.
Myshevskiy. Oh, really? Frankly, I didn’t think of that, professor. It is probably because a human being is an egoist by nature. How could he blamed of it? The God created him so.
Golyshkin. However, fortunately, for humanity The God created not all people as egoists. The history contains the examples when some individuals sacrificed their lives for the sake of other people.
Myshevskiy. Well, black sheep occurs in all herds. And after all, if each individual is happy, isn’t it enough for all humanity to be happy?
Golyshkin. You are quite a sophist, Mr. Myshevsky, I should tell you. It makes you somewhat similar to your desirable elixir-stone. Your ideas like poison get into people’s minds breaking noble ideals and turn romantic souls into cynics.
Myshevskiy. I’d say you are too stern to me, professor.
Golyshkin. Well, let’s stop this useless arguing, Mr. Myshevsky. We’d better return to the point of our conversation. Don’t you know that the philosophers’ stone is not more than a fable of ancient alchemists?
Myshevskiy. Yeah, I heard about it. Moreover, this fable had been actively exploited by all sorts of quacks. They made their money on those simpletons who believed in superficial power of the elixir-stone.
Golyshkin. So, you see…
Myshevskiy. What about Raimondus Lullius then? Do you know about the Spaniard who lived back in the 14>th century? The British King Edward ordered him to make sixty thousand pounds of gold out of Azoth, Tin, and Saturn. And he did fulfill the order!
