Сто лет одиночества

           ThatbitingodorwouldstayforeverinhermindlinkedtothememoryofMelqufades.

           Therudimentarylaboratory-inadditiontoaprofusionofpots,funnels,retorts,filters,andsieves-wasmadeupofaprimitivewaterpipe,aglassbeakerwithalong,thinneck,areproductionofthephilosopher’segg,andastillthegypsiesthemselveshadbuiltinaccordancewithmoderndescriptionsofthethree-armedalembicofMarytheJew.Alongwiththoseitems,Melqufadesleftsamplesofthesevenmetalsthatcorrespondedtothesevenplanets,theformulasofMosesandZosimusfordoublingthequantityofgold,andasetofnotesandsketchesconcerningtheprocessesoftheGreatTeachingthatwouldpermitthosewhocouldinterpretthemtoundertakethemanufactureofthephilosopher’sstone.Seducedbythesimplicityoftheformulastodoublethequantityofgold,JoseArcadioBuendfapaidcourttoOrsulaforseveralweekssothatshewouldlethimdiguphercolonialcoinsandincreasethembyasmanytimesasitwaspossibletosubdividemercury.Orsulagavein,asalways,toherhusband’sunyieldingobstinacy.ThenJoseArcadioBuendfathrewthreedoubloonsintoapanandfusedthemwithcopperfilings,orpiment,brimstone,andlead.Heputitalltoboilinapotofcastoroiluntilhegotathickandpestilentialsyrupwhichwasmorelikecommoncaramelthanvaluablegold.Inriskyanddesperateprocessesofdistillation,meltedwiththesevenplanetarymetals,mixedwithhermeticmercuryandvitriolofCyprus,andputbacktocookinhogfatforlackofanyradishoil,Orsula’spreciousinheritancewasreducedtoalargepieceofburnthogcracklingsthatwasfirmlystucktothebottomofthepot.Whenthegypsiescameback,Orsulahadturnedthewholepopulationofthevillageagainstthem.