I'd think that those came along with the incomplete understanding of the language as well as the basic idea getting foggier with the time.

The ideas were getting definitely foggier from what I can see. Or alternate explanation we simply don't understand what they were refering too. HOWEVER one thing that is abundantly clear is that these guys were fooling around with extremely toxic substances. Mercury, arsenic, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, possibly hydroflouric acid, antimony, along with the usual lead, gold, and any number of "salts" that were highly corrosive (perhaps sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide). They were definitely interested in something called "The philospher's stone" but I get the feeling that changing lead into gold was just one of their goals. The changing lead into gold would merely finance the operation for something else. Though apparently one or two kings from what I can see also recogtnized the economic impact of changing lead into gold impoverishing them instantly if somebody else got hold of the secret first. So this was a complex situation here.

If we wanted to repeat these experiments today you'd need a hazmat suit and a ton of permits just to get the chemicals.And even then I'd be hesitant to try them...My how things have changed.