The Moby-Dick Bible
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Literary Motifs › Alchemy

Alchemy

1 passage in the novel carry this mark, in the order they appear.

He is certainly a curious example of the Unicornism to be found in almost every kingdom of animated nature. From certain cloistered old authors I have gathered that this same sea-unicorn’s horn was in ancient days regarded as the great antidote against poison, and as such, preparations of it brought immense prices. It was also distilled to a volatile salts for fainting ladies, the same way that the horns of the male deer are manufactured into hartshorn.

Chapter 32, Cetology · verse 57

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