The " Broadway Travellers " series contains many novelties, but
nothing more curious than the new volume, The Travels of an Alchemist, translated by Mr. Arthur Waley from the thirteenth - century Chinese Li Chili-Chang (Routledge, 10s. 6d.). For this alchemist, or mystic, Chang-Chung, the aged head of a Taoist sect, made the long journey from North- eastern China to the borders of Afghanistan to meet the famous Mongol conqueror, Chingiz Khan, in 1223. Every- where he was received with respect as a saint and miracle- worker. Chingiz, himself the terror of Asia, was most courteous to the sage, and went so far as to exempt his disciples from taxation. Chingiz was impressed at the outset by his honesty. For when the Khan asked him : " Adept, what Medicine of Long Life have you brought me from afar ? " Chang-Chun replied : " I have means of protecting life but no elixir that will prolong it." Few details of their conversations are given, but it is stated that Chang-Chun begged the Khan not to forbid his subjects to bathe in rivers during the summer, wash their clothes or gather mushrooms. The narrator takes for granted the elaborate organization of the Mongol Empire, to which repeated references are made. Mr. Waley's introduc- tion and notes are interesting and his translation reads smoothly.
* * * *
Previous page
