ellor the Second Bonze having,
next to myself, the greatest interest in the matter, I desire him to make
due inquiries and report to us at the next council, when I shall be
prepared to state what fine will be imposed upon him, should he not have
succeeded."

That night all the members of the Lao-tsze sect inhabiting prisons under
the jurisdiction of the Principal Bonze were decapitated, and the P.B. laid
his own head upon his pillow with some approach to peace of mind, trusting
that the knowledge of the Elixir of Immortality had perished with them.

The Second Bonze, having a different object to attain, proceeded in a
different manner. He sent for his captives, and discoursed to them touching
the evil arts of unprincipled courtiers, and the facility with which they
mislead even the best intentioned princes. For years had he, the Second
Bonze, pleaded the cause of toleration at court; and had at length
succeeded in enlightening his Majesty to such an extent that there was
every prospect of an edict of indulgence being shortly promulgated,
provided always that the Elixir of Life was previously forthcoming.

The unfortunate heretics would have been only too thankful to prolong the
Emperor's life indefinitely in consideration of securing peace for their
own, but they could only inform the Bonze of the general tradition of their
sect. This was that the knowledge of Lao-tsze's secret was confined to
certain adepts, most of whom were plunged into so deep a trance that any
communication with them was impossible. For the administration of the
miraculous draught, it appeared, was attended with this inconvenience, that
it threw the partaker into a deep sleep, lasting any time between ten years
and eternity, according to the depth of his potation. During its
continuance the ordinary operations of nature were suspended, and the
patient awoke with precisely the same bodily constitution, old or young, as
he had possessed on falling into his lethargy; and though still liable to
wounds and accidents, he or she continued to enjoy undiminished health and
vigour for a period equal to the duration of the trance, after which he
sank back into the ranks of mortality, unless he could repeat the potion.
All the adepts who had come to life under his present Majesty's most
clement reign had immediately emigrated: the only persons, therefore,
capable of giving information were now buried in slumber, and of course
would only speak when they shoul