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In the middle ages someone professing to be an alchemist might not actually be one in the strict sense of the word. Many frauds and charlatans posed as alchemists to make the credulous public pay for the application of their supposed knowledge of the divine art.This article will trace the development of the medieval view of alchemy as it emerges from the most important contemporary sources and will attempt to answer the question why its abuses attracted more attention than its serious exercise.