Page One - Blue, Colors of Hope

Kneading in the doors of immortality

It would not be better for people if everything was fulfilled by everything that they wish.

(Heraclit)

In the spring month Nichan, on the second day of the new moon, the king of the kings, the Lord of the Universe, the Lord of all Persians Xerx wished to arrange a view of his great army. When the rainy's races spread this message in all cities and fortresses, where the garrisons of the invincible Persian troops stood, many were delivered, but even more there were those who sealed.

Those who delinted, thought about future great awards and honors for distinguished, who were usually accompanied by such sights. The same who sealed, remembered the terrible executions who were betrayed by the defended - those who were not lucky: either the gum was burst, or he kept a spear, or a horse suddenly came down with a measured lynx. But those who have sealed, tried to keep the fate on the face in order not to tempt fate and not become a light prey of omnipresent diamons.

And then the day came, which was impatiently waited and even more afraid of so many. The great army gathered at the foot of the hill, on which Belals a huge tent of the king, and when the king of the kings Xerxes came out of the tent, the copper roar shakes the sky and the Earth. Compared to him, with this roar, thunder, which brought clouds, the noise of the stormy sea was like a whisper, as the breeze of the breeze. These are thousands of warriors hit their swords about copper wrought shields.

The head of the troops, who stood a little behind, at the right hand of the king, noticed how the shadow of pleasure ran on the face of the lord, and it was a sign of mercy. When the great army came into motion in motion to the royal hand, it seemed that all the Earth had come into motion - from one edge of the sky to another, because for those who stood on the hill, there was neither an archer, nor the catering, nor Schields Only the movable human mass glittering with weapons, and there was no such obstacle, such a fortress, a country or troops, which this mass would not have broken and could not crush. Therefore, pride and joy that they are involved in such force, filled the hearts of people standing on the hill on the right and left Tsar kings.

But they did not see the persons of the xerxes. When he pleased to turn his face to them, they saw that the Lord was crying. And their souls embraced horror.

- I truly sadly think about the brevity of human life. Through any hundred years, no one, nor a single person from all of them will be among the living ...

And saying it, the king, without looking at anyone, retired to the tent. And the courts did not know what to talk to them and what to do. The army was all walked, and the Earth was crushed from one edge of heaven to the other, and it seemed there would be no end.

King Kings, the Lord of Persians did not come out more that day from the tent. This time after the view there was no awards, no executions ...

So, or about the same way, the Greek historian of Herodotus tells. It happened in the spring month Nichan, on the second day of the young moon, two and a half thousand years ago.

1. Those who are on the road

A person always seemed that Nature did unfairly, holding him so a brief existence and condemned his death. Long before the great Xerxes, the residents of ancient Sumer, who inhabited on the swampy shores of the Tiger and Euphrates, painfully reflect on it. Why did the gods who gave a man mind, did not endorse him with immortality? With clay plates, dried with clinox signs, through the dark tunnels of the five millennia, it comes to us full of bewilderment and sorrowful voice:

How do I understand how so calm?
My favorite friend became earthy
Enkida, friend my beloved, became earthy!
Just like him and I do not lie
So as not to stand in the eyelids?

But never man would not have been the fact that he was, if he was limited to the bailings. That is why Hilgamesh, the hero of the first epic in the world, goes to a dangerous path for the distant sea to get there "Flower as Tern", gives youth and moving death.

The years and millennia passed, the ideas about good and evil changed, the gods died and newly born, but this dream remained indestructible, this faith, what is the path? The only one among the set leading to immortality. And to the honor of humanity, there were always madmen who were looking for this path. Who will say how many of them are missing and unnamed, who risked to go on the footsteps of Gilgamesh and not reaching the goal, confused from the road and those killed on false paths?

Epos about Gilgamesh speaks of a flower that is bearing immortality. Mahabharata, Epos of Ancient India, mentions the juice of some tree that extends a person's life to 10,000 years. The ancient Greek historians Megasphen and Strabo also mention it. And Elian, the Roman author, who lived in the II-III centuries, tells about the trees, the fruits of which are able to allegedly return the lost youth.

Other ancient texts persistently talk about some kind of "water of eternal life." This tradition also existed in the African peoples, and among the peoples of America, and the Slavs in the form of legends about living water. Russian epics put the source of living water on the island of Buyan, which stands in the middle of the ocean. The inhabitants of the Oceanic Squares were looking for a source of water that gives eternal life, in the edges lying for "many days of the road."

Gilgamesh (XXVIII century BC. Er), Tsar Uruk, according to legend, went to search for a magic flower giving youth

Hieroglyph denoting "Elixir of Immortality", the secret of which Taoist monks kept

Similarly, if residents of the neighboring countries have placed such a source of living water in China, the Chinese themselves, following the same logic, they went to search for it anywhere, but only as far as possible, beyond their country.

One of such expeditions is associated with the name of the Chinese emperor Qin Shihuandi (259-210 BC. E.).

It was an emperor who united the country and began the construction of the Great Wall of China. The wall fence the country from nomads, and the emperor - from military alarms, such a majestive predecessor. But for a change in one concerns, others always come. The emperor was concerned about, other rulers did not dare even think: Qin Shihuandy decided to live forever. And he did not regret either the time nor effort to find a way that would lead him to this goal.

... Nobody who strangues could not get into the Forbidden City, where the Emperor's residence was located. Curious, daring to approach the gate too close, buried buried in place. Even birds carelessly tried to fly through the canal to the imperial residence, the archers were shot down on the summer with long red arrows. This measure was not superfluous - angry spirit or waswolf could take the appearance of the bird to approach the person of the emperor and harm him. It was believed that evil spirits can only move directly or roll at right angles. Therefore, all the entrances to the forbidden city, all transitions in the palace and paths in the imperial park were laid in such a way that there were no direct lines anywhere. Even the edges of the palace roof were curved, so that evil spirits could not move along them. But, despite all these measures and all the prohibitions, there was one terrible guest, which nothing could stop. And the emperor every day and remembered her every hour.

In vain Qin Shihuandi talked about it with the smartest people of his state. They were tempted in achieving and holding the authorities, in conducting war or tax collecting, but none of them could tell his lord how to overcome nature and avoid death. Then the emperor retired in the long-nights of his palace and began to talk with those who had not been among the living, looking for an answer in ancient books and manuscripts.

"They say," wrote one ancient author, "that in the midst of the Eastern Sea there are three unusual islands. They are not so far from places living by people, but, unfortunately, barely someone is trying to stick to them, how the wind rises, which relates the boat away away. If they say the truth, then in ancient times there were people who managed to achieve these islands. In these islands live immortal and there is a composition that protects from death. All living there, even birds and animals, white color. " On one of these islands, the legend struggled, beats the source of the municipal color of the jade. Drinking this wine will acquire immortality.

When Qin Shihuandi graduated from reading, he understood that this is a sign of fate. From the same day, the construction of two dozen large ships began on the imperial order, on which it was possible to risk going to the sea. But no one, no subject, no approximate or minister of the emperor, did not know about the goal for which this unprecedented flotilla was constructed. However, the further construction advanced, the greater the doubt covered the emperor. Can he leave the Palace and the Forbidden City, not risking to lose the empire? As soon as the flotilla under the sails from yellow silk - a sign that the emperor himself is on one of the ships, "the insurgency will break up in the capital. And from remote provinces to the forbidden city, the unmeasant hordes of applicants will move, hurrying to raise the throne empty for a while. The emperor knew what would be the case, and it forced him to look for more and more new reasons to pull the completion of construction. He did not like the room for the suite, and the carpenters had to rebuild everything again. That dragons who decorated the nose of the ships, turned out to be not as the emperor represented themselves, and he ordered to execute the cutters on a tree. But still the construction continued, and sooner or later it was supposed to come the day when the emperor had to make a decision.

Therefore, so by the way, it turned out this petition, respectively transferred to him by the head of the office, when the construction was close to the end. A subject, a person who is unknown to the emperor named Su Sheze, fell to the high feet of his lord. "We begging," he wrote, "so that we were allowed to pass, passing tribute to us, go with the young men and girls in search of the Islands of immortality." The emperor was convinced that fate once again heard his thoughts.

In a designed day, all twenty ships were launched. Under the light sounds of flutes that purify against evil eyes and evil thoughts, the rows took up the oars, and flotilla, carrying three thousand boys and girls, as well as a large number of different workers, servants and masters, headed towards the Eastern Sea.

Caught long days, weeks finally months. From Such did not come any news. Many hours the emperor spent on the shore, peering into an unclear horizon. But ships never returned.

"Such went to swim," Chinese historian wrote about the final of this expedition, "he opened the Earth, wonderful by his peace and fertility. There he settled, became king and never returned back. "

When it became clear that Such and his people would not return, the emperor began to look for other ways to immortality. Throughout the country, his deaths were looking for people involved in the knowledge of the ancient, higher wisdom and magic. He especially fagged to the Taoist monks - to whom, as not to them, this mystery should be opened!

The emperor had reason to think so. In ancient China, many have believed that the Taoist monks jealously keep the secret of some kind of "pill of immortality" that could allegedly extend the human life. Texts mentioning this, reached the present day. But none reports the composition of the pill. Only in one source deaf it says that they are among them in addition to others, "eight precious components" are included.

Long and was folded was the path of manufacturing "Pill of Immortality": "The sun, the moon and the stars must complete their circle seven times, and four times the year should go back nine times. You have to rinse the composition until it becomes white, and shoot down until it turns into red, then you will get an elixir that gives you life to ten thousand epochs. "

By order, Qin Shihuangi in the depths of the palace were allocated apartments, in which strange, silent people settled. They were supposed to be manufactured for the emperor with the slave compositions and secret drugs. Each one, the most recent submarine it was known that the emperor commanded the wisest people to make him live forever. In the empire there was no man who did not know that the will of their lord was sacred. And so that none of the subjects from the shepherd to the Supreme Sanovnik - did not borrow doubts about the justice of this thought, Qin Shihuangdie all many years of his reign ruthlessly betrayed the execution of those who thought otherwise.

That is why, when the emperor died in the destroyed hour, his sacrifices and the boredrals were in front of a difficult dilemma: what to consider more importantly - the sacred will of the Emperor who wished to live forever, or an unfriendly fact that was in front of their eyes. However, the oscillations were short. The emperor was decided to consider alive. His body was watered on the throne, and from there, because of the screen, he gave for many days to silent audiences to the dignitaries, governors of provinces and diplomats. All the same silent and fixed, recreated on the throne, the emperor made a trip around the country, and only on the outcome of the month, overcoming fear and doubt, the approximate decided to betray the earth what was once of their emperor. So tell the chronicles.

Neither Qin Shihuandi, nor the expedition sent to them so did not find the water of eternal life. Later, in the next centuries, travelers from the Criminal Empire, occupied by the search for the source of eternal life, could often be seen in other countries. They were especially stubborn in India.

Caught the centuries, and here the paths were invisibly crossed with the paths of Jesuits and Catholic missionaries. One of these traveler missionaries in his letter from India in 1291 was imprisoned with the fact that his perennial searches were in vain. By the way, at that time, the opinions of theologians about where the source of living water is located: some were inclined to believe that they should continue searching in India, others, referring to the foggy places of the Holy Scriptures and the missing the ancient authors, called Ceylon, Third - Ethiopia.

But when the admiral of His Majesty Christopher Columbus opened new, unknown lands over the ocean, hopes for immortality after the conquistadors and merchants moved to the West.

Italian humanist Pedro Martyr, who lived in those years personally knew the great navigator, wrote to Pope Lero X: "To the north of Espanyola between other islands there is one island at a distance of three hundred twenty miles from her, as they say those who found it. On the island beats an inexhaustible key of flowing water of such a wonderful property that the old man who will drink it, observing a certain diet, after some time will turn into a young man. I beg, your Holiness, do not think that I spoke this from a frivolity or a namobum; This hearing was indeed approved at the court as a certain truth, and not only a simple people, but many of those that stand above the crowds in their mind or wealth also believe him. "

Do I have to be surprised that among those who believed in the existence of an eternal life source was also a notable Castilian Hydalgo Juan Ponce de Leon? He was already in fifty, when the old people who lived on Puerto Rico, he learned about some country located in the north, where there is a source gives eternal youth. They said that several years before that, many Indians from Cuba's island went on her searches and none of them returned. Do you need other evidence that they managed to find this country?!

Other Indians objected to whether it should be started in such a distant way when there is an island among the Bahamas, where he beats exactly the same source of youth and eternal life.

Ponce de Leon was not the only Spaniard hearing these stories. But he was the only one who decided on his own fear and risk to equip an expedition to search for the island. Of course, if rumors were touched by gold, and the means and ships were immediately found, and the crowd of volunteers would not make themselves waiting. But it was not about wealth, but just about immortality. True, Ponce de Leon himself was already at that time, when people begin to understand the relative value of gold and absolute - life.

Therefore, invested all its funds in the purchase of three Brigs, Ponce de Leon is gaining the crew and at dawn on March 3, 1512 for a cannonal film orders an anchor. The sun shines brightly, forechaws, the morning wind inflates sails, and the flotilla goes down. How many such ships were equipped in those years in search of new lands, spices or gold! But these were noted by a special sign. The one who led them was called no glory, not power and not wealth. Eternal life and eternal youth - this is what he was looking for. And long, while the ships did not turn into three points on the horizon, there was a crowd on the shore and watched them after.

The weather and luck favored swimming, and soon the Green Islands of the Bahamas archipelago appeared. Each of them abounded by quiet bays and ducts, convenient for parking ships. And everyone could be exactly the one they were looking for. In the mornings from the ships, the boats went down and, waving the blue lagoon smooth, headed to the shore. The remaining on board envied those who fell on this day a happier fate. But no one was waiting for their return with such impatience as the captain himself. In the evenings, the boats walked to the ship on which he was located, and with a quiet knock - a tree about a tree - got sakeful from a clemless board. Boatswain Krivoy Juan took prey - copper flasks, flakes, bottles and bottles filled with water from all sources, which only managed to find on the island.

For a long time, after the team went to sleep, and the duty officers stood at the night watch, the lantern continued to burn in the cabin. The oil cracked in the wick, and then the reddish glare shuddered on copper flasks polished to shine in rude sailor pockets. Ponce de Leon built them on the table in front of him and slowly tried the contents of each flask. They said that the entire pair of sips is enough that the transformation begins instantly.

The next morning, other sailors, those who pointed out the lot, disassembled empty flasks and went down the swinging boats over the hemp stairs. And until the captain looked at the sun, waiting again in the evening, sailors, clogged under the awning, which once repeated each other all that they had a chance to hear from those who went ashore. If there is a paradise on earth, then it should be here on these islands. The forests here are full of game, but a quiet river - fish, which can be caught by hand right at the shore. But most importantly, it was the earth - fertile, replete with fruits and, most amazing, actually draw. Because it was impossible to take seriously the grievous Indians who scattered, barely hampering the appeal of the Spaniards. About such land, about such an area could they dream of the born among the stony fields of Andalusia or the plains of Castile?!

Krivoy Juan did not intervene in these conversations. Passing by, he did not even listen to them. But not because I did not know about them or did not guessed about the inevitable development of events that he knew, follow all this.

And again far over midnight in the captain's cabin burned light. And again, after the team went to bed, the muffled voices came from Kubrick. No matter how quietly stood the Juan curve, whenever he passed by, the voices poemed. But Juan only grinned in the dark. Tomorrow morning, as always, he will know everything. Not for that seventeen years, he floats in the seas and the gallows escaped three times so as not to learn how to see what was happening under his nose. And one more lesson made Juan from what he saw and what would be enough, perhaps, for a dozen other lives, - never hurry and not to put up to the other side before the next minute, the last minute, when the scales of fate come to move. And only then he, Krivoy Juan, for a moment before everyone else should understand that he pleases with fate. And then, as it happened more than once, he snatches the guns and first shout: "Ura captain!" or "Captain on Rey!" But every time - exactly what is needed to be with the winners.

That's faithful, Krivoy Juan did not hurry this time, although everything seemed to be clear and the fate of the insane idalgo was predetermined.

So they promoted from the island to the island, and no one ropal, because every time the new island turned out even more beautiful than to leave. But the inevitable events that Huang foresee should have been about to break out when an episode was occurred, which mixed all the cards.

In the evening, when the captain, as always, retired to the cabin with his flasks, Krivoy Juan was not honored with one flask. Someone, going on board, did not give it, as usual, but left himself. Why? The captain hardly notice it. Juan was the only on the ship who knew. This gave him an excess card in the game, and he decided to go from it.

The one who did not give his flasks actually risked a little. But really he thought that if it became famous, Krivoy Juan does not solve, who did it?

Already on the other morning, Juan knew - who. For this Enough it was Of those who were on the shore, subtract those who came to take the flasks. Rodrigo, on nicknamed Listen, was those who found themselves in the rest. And again Juan did not rush the events. He only tried that on this day a fox got a job at the rear feed, on Utah, away from the rest. Rewind the ropes is not very simple work, especially when the sun stands right above the head and there is no protection from it. Juan patiently waited, when the shadow from the mast became a short, like a fool's thought, and only after that he slowly moved towards Utah. The fox did not immediately notice the boatswain, but noticing, even more magnificent began to rewind the thick mounted rope. Juan approached very close, so that there were almost no space between him and the sailor. Juan knew what he was doing.

- Hot, kid?

Only now the fox risked rake.

- Hot? - Juan portrayed a smile on his face, which could seem sincere just the last idiot. - Maybe there is a sip of water? "And he stretched out his hand to the flask, which hung at the fox on the belt, stretched left hand, it was the left left."

He continued to smile when his body barely had time to dart aside, evading the blow. At the same instant, his right hand, too, as if, in itself, besides his will, shot up, and the knocked knife was deeply entered into the board of the deck. But no wonder the fox was younger. In the next moment he was ahead of the boatswain. There was only a splash behind the board, and the fox, making wide crawls, was quickly sailed to the shore.

The shore, however, was not close, and Juan knew that he could not swim the fox so much. He managed to think this in some fraction of a second and in the same fraction of a second was pleased that he made him work all morning - now he is no longer the swimmer. And after a split second, the voice of Juan thundered on the deck, and the sailors rolved in the boat by one after another. About the flask Juan decided not yet to say anything, let him first catch it.

"This unfounded tried to kill me," he explained hatering, but the captain only squeezed her thin lips and answered nothing. Juan understood why: he committed a bold, turning first, before the eldest spoke to him.

For an attack on the Bottchman, the fox was provided with shackles and work on the galley. He knew it and sailed his best. But the distance between the boat and the swimmer was all shortened. However, the distance between the swimmer and the yellow strip of sand was even faster there, where the coast began. Ponce de Leon moved the captain's tricon on his forehead so that the sun would not blind eyes. Now it became clear that the boat really lags, the rings in it completely stopped working with oars. Scribing her eyes, Juan saw the thin Castilian Captain Ugings jerked angrily. Of course, he is Hidalgo and a notable lord, but the guys are swimming with him, he does not understand. Do not understand at all. And Juan allowed himself to notice respectfully:

- Mr. Captain, he will not leave. Guys just play with him. They want to play.

But the captain did not even look at him: he again committed the audacity.

And the sailors really "played" with a fugitive. When he seemed to be about to reach the shore, suddenly woven the oars, the boat rushed from the spot and a minute later it was between the fox and the surf strip. Then she froze again, slightly removing from the coast and driving the fox in the open sea. He can see, I understood it and now barely crammed with my hands, only to stay on the water. But the boat moved faster, and he had to hurry so as not to give a distance to cut.

Then, it seemed, the boat was behind the boat again, and the fox was able to google it, heading to the coast, it was repeated several times, but even from the ship it was seen that the fugitive was already out of his strength and he could not hold out for a long time. When the boat tried to repeat this fun once again, he began to sink. Now the rowers left on the oars of all his might, but when the boat almost climb him, the fox snapped the last time, his hand rose suddenly from the water, and he threw something flayed on the sun away from himself. A second, the boat was already over the place where the fox was just that, but he did not appear.

The captain was inquiringly turned to Huan. Now he had to speak or dilute his hands. Juan spoke and thus chose his destiny.

"Mr. Captain, this sailor was tired last night his flask. Today, when I demanded her ...

Krivoy Juan never seen a person to immediately pale.

- Boat, - Dried Hidalgo's lips.

Boats on the ship no longer turned out. There was only a double boot, and Juan himself sat on his oars.

When they finally reached the boat with the expectant of their sailors, all the swabs began to point the place where the lesenok threw his flask.

- Fifty reals to those who will find it.

It was necessary to be born rich and have per back rich rich ancestors to pronounce it as it was said.

- Fifty reals? - As an echo asked Juan. It was a state. Juan regretted that he is not a simple sailor and cannot dive now into the water after others. For all her life, he did not have anything to keep in his hands, but also to see. And in his life he had any.

The flask still found. The one who managed to be highly raised her over his head and shouted to see the captain and others did not take away from him.

Juan only holding a flask in his hands, before conveying her captain, but it was enough for him to realize that in her. And I understood, scared that the captain guess he knows. This discovery so shocked him that his hands had a bad thing that he had a barebreaking to the ship. But the captain did not notice anything. Captain was not up to him.

On this evening, the deaf sense in the sailor kubrik continued longer than the usual. On two other ships, Juan knew, was the same. And when at dawn, the captain ordered suddenly to raise the sail and removed from the anchor, the riot flashed on all three ships.

The team did not want to sail on. They are justified here, on these lands, they will breed grapes and olives, grow wheat - everyone here will be a noble senor. Let who wants to swim with this insane idalgo, just not they, not they! Krivoy Juan knew that he would remain with them. But not to collect yields here or breed sheep. It will take here to other things - and the later the rest will know about it, the better. At that instant, when he took the flask from the water, his hand could not be mistaken. Water could not weigh so much - there was gold in the flask!

And one more thing I understood and knew Juan, what was not like, did not have time to understand the rest: if they remain here, they do not need witnesses. He felt something gothes for a moment when the scales of fate would be drown and come into motion. These people had no leader, after a minute he would become them. And then, overlapping all the gomon and shouts, they rushed with the decks of the three bits together, he shouted as he shouted only his teams during the storm:

- Captain on Rey!

First, all smalkley, but immediately a few votes picked up:

- in reude! Captain on Rey!

And everyone has already shouted, roared, blotched:

- Captain on Rey!

Because everyone knew: after these words of the path back there. And this meant the end of all doubts and fluctuations. Someone hastily dragged the rope, adopting a loop on the go, someone was already in charge of the Captain Barrel in the torn and the camsole membrane. Now everything solved moments. If Captain has time to take advantage of someone hesitated, at least one voice will hear, then the case is done and he, Juan, will be able to congratulate himself. Do not miss the same, with a rope, maybe everything happened. But the captain suddenly raised his hand. And right there all smalkley. "So, and now, and under the loop, he still remained the captain for them," Juan managed to think. And also: "You can not give him to speak."

But the captain has already spoke. And by how calmly and powerfully sounded his voice, Juan realized that he lost.

"Let the one who wants to pick up in the ground remains here," said the captain. "So he does not deserve anything better, nothing else."

"I rey," I tried to shout Juan, but everyone was seized on him, and he bit the tongue.

- Sailors, I, Ponce de Leon, will do that former your owners, all who have served, will bow to the belt, lie in your feet. In the world there will be no people richer than you. Let them bring a flask that I have a cabin ...

"See," he raised the flask above his head, is gold. I neglected them ...

And from His exaltation, he began to twitch small nuggets under the feet standing on the deck.

- I throw it because the day comes when you also throw it as unnecessary. For each sip of water returning youth, you will pay more gold than you can accommodate your pockets. Sailors ...

Krivoy Juan did a slight move to get to the ladder, but several hands had already laid it.

- Ura captain! - Skrew someone. - Hooray! - Picky the rest.

A few minutes later, Juan was already in the pads below, in the deaf and cheese hold. The days that were indistinguishable for him from the night were reached. He no longer hoped for nothing, did not expect anything. He did not go from rage, when the next sailor, bringing food, tried to put it so that he could not get to her. Or deliberately tried to spill the season of water, which rely on him for the day. Sometimes he reflected on what his royal alcald would sentence - to the galloper or to the gallery. But this, for some reason, not very worried him, as if what had happened, did not happen to him, but with someone else whose fate was generally indifferent to him.

Therefore, when, in one of the days (or nights), Luke Triad rose and came after him, Juan could not know what it means. He could not know what was passed the long week of fruitless search. What now, persecuted with impatience, the captain himself descended on the shore and went around everything that was able to find sources. The crew hipgedized by his faith, Istivo cleaned the island island, and every failure only strengthened everyone in hope: if not today, then, it means that tomorrow.

But the captain knew the price of this loyalty and this faith. The safest, he believed, to get rid of the instratchors as soon as possible, without waiting for returns to Puerto Rico. Several people he landed on the islands that came across the path. Today was the turn of Juan.

The sailors pulled it out of the boat and threw on the pebbles near the surf. Then, when the boat was already sailing, they remembered that they did not leave him a box with provisions and a couple of knives, as the captain ordered. They did not want to row back, and they simply threw their cargo to the sea.

But, despite all this, Krivoy Juan survived. And not only survived, but also survived the noble Hidalgo, the owner of the three large ships Ponce de Leon.

The ships meanwhile continued their journey, and once at dawn, a blooming island was opened with which no previously visited by them could be compared. It was at Verbal Sunday (Paskua Florida), and the captain called the land, which he accepted for the island, Florida.

But how many peaceful and wonderful seemed to have this land, cut through hundreds of small streams and rivers, and the Indians who lived here were equally militant and unprincipled. They had little business before the encouraging the aliens were guided and what they were looking for. They met White Strangers, as used to meeting the enemies who encroached on their hunting grounds and huts. In one of the skimps among the wounded, the captain itself was ...

Many other adventures and disasters have suffered the Spaniards for the time how the ships continued their long way. In the end, struggling with hostile trade winds, they returned to the port, which left many months ago. Ponce de Leon was not without the benefit sold his ships and returned to Spain.

In Madrid, they already knew about the courageous attempt of Hidalgo to find the water of eternal life. As soon as he arrived and managed to stay in a hotel, as the messenger came, demanding it to the palace of the king.

Curiosity watched the king on a man who could actually and take away. And then, standing here, he would hold the bottle of eternal life brought for his king. And he, King of Spain Ferdinand Aragon, would be the first (and maybe the only one) from the Christian kings living forever.

In any case, it is not wines of Hidalgo, that this time he was not lucky. The king favorably listened to the story of Ponce de Leon and had him signs of his grace and attention. Responsibly removing from the audience, Ponce de Leon was no longer anyone who he was, entering the high ravings of the hall. He became a "His Excellency" by the royal hand, the governor of the open "Florida Island" ...

In their secret hopes for immortality, the King of Spain was not alone among other monarchs. Is the Vladyka, being inconsistent with the rest of people in everything, could be equal to them at least in the face of death? The Chinese emperor Qin Shihuanga was probably the first to try to rebel against the inexorable law of being. Stories are also known to other rulers who, everyone in their own way, tried to proclaim their immortality. Westrian emperors-co-co-gelators of Arkady and Horoni (395-408) unveiled Edict, who announced that from now on, the subjects, addressing them, should no longer say "Your Majesty", but "Your Eternity." The main argument was the following: "Those who dare to deny the divine essence of our personalities will be deprived of their posts, and their property will be confiscated."

For subjects, this argument was, naturally, very convincing. But not for nature.

In the same way, in one time they were famous in the immortal essence of the emperor of August, his subjects. And even earlier he won the immortal Alexander the Macedonian peoples captured by the countries.

And isn't it a mockery of fate: the natives who lived in the vicinity of the most Puerto Rico, from where the burdown Hidalgo Ponce de Leon went to search for immortality, they themselves were convinced that the Spaniards conquered them - immortal! That is why the proud Indians demolished all the oppression and arbitrariness that the conquistadors were cleaned. And indeed, is it possible to imagine an enterprise more meaningless and hopeless than the uprising against immortal?

As often happens, the "discovery" began with doubt. There was a local leader who doubted that the brutal white gods do not know death. In order to test it, it was decided to spend a rather bold experiment. Having learned that a young Spaniard was going to proceed through his possessions, the leader pressed the honorary escort to him, which was given to the relevant instructions. Following them, the Indians, when they crossed the river, dropped the stretchers and kept the Spaniard under water until he stopped breaking away. Then they pulled him as shore and just in case, for a long time and Vitievato apologized to the "White God" that they were inadvertently to drop it. But he did not move and did not accept their apologies. To make sure that this is not a trick and not pretense, the Indians did not follow the eyes from the body for several days, then watching him a warmth of high herbs, then again approaching and once again repeating her apologies ...

After that, the Indians were convinced that their conquerors are the same mortal as they themselves. And making sure, in one day and an hour raised the uprising around the island, destroying and driving the Spaniards to all. True, not long.

As for Ponce de Leon, he is a person who was looking for immortality - eventually died of a wound that once received on Florida. "So that way," the author of the old Spanish chronicle seems to notice, "fate destroys human plans: the discovery that Ponce hoped to extend his life was to reduce it."

Curve Juan after a few years took off the island by chance by Brig. The stories he told, no one believed. But the name of Ponce de Leon was known at that time, and the fact that Juan walked with him caused interest among several very elderly (and as rich) Spaniards. For several years, Krivoy Juan served as someone like a conductor in expeditions organized by them. But the trouble of Juan was that he was not endowed with fantasy. Therefore, the information with which he possessed, where to look for water of eternal life, quickly exhausted. And soon, and he himself was lost somewhere in the seaside harchers and taverns of the new world.

Also irrevocably lost in the past, the names and fates of many others who, like Juan or his reckless captain, went to search for the water of eternal youth. But was it crazy were these searches?

2. Elixir immortality

The body of a person by 70 percent consists of water. No wonder one famous biologist figuratively called living beings "animated water." Obviously, for the health and longevity of man is not indifferent, what kind of water nourishes the cloth of his body. And indeed, in recent years it has become known that water differs significantly not only in chemical impurities, but also by isotopic composition and other features. Many properties of water change, for example, if you skip it between the poles of the magnet. Water may be more biologically active, and it affects the processes of the organism aging. But much about the properties of water is an important component of our body - we still do not know.

In any case, today there are no more vague legends and not ancient legends, and scientific research speaks of the effect of water on the health and life expectancy of the inhabitants of different areas of the Earth.

It is known that the inhabitants of some islands of the Caribbean, for example, Guadeloupe islands, look much younger than their European-older. When they are asked how they manage to keep youth for a long time, it is usually the answer: "We have such water on our island, which rejuvenates the person ..." There are excellent health and inhabitants of the central regions of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Residents of Sri Lanka The reason for their health consider the climate and water of mining sources. Apparently, it is not by chance ancient tried to look for life-watering water on this island.

Long milestones and a number of peoples of the North, some scientists are also associated with water that they drink. This is the so-called "effect of melt water", which has a beneficial effect on metabolism and thereby, as it were, a "rejuvenating" body.

Today, searches are no longer on the distant islands or in unknown lands. They are carried out in dozens of laboratories of the largest scientific centers of the world, studying the properties of water and its influence on the human body.

People who are extremely concerned about to lengthen their lives as much as possible, most of them were endowed with wealth and power. They were looking for the shortest path. And this path seemed to existed. The most ancient legends and legends mentioned him - this is the "elixir of immortality" who knocked the gods. In different countries it was called differently. The gods of the ancient Greeks used the giving abroad, Indian gods - Amrita, the gods of Iranians - Homa. And only the gods of ancient Egypt, showing majestic modesty, preferred other food of the gods - water. True, all the same water of immortality.

Nobody approached the elixir of immortality so close as the alchemists who were looking for, however, are completely different - the ways of making gold. This was a well-known logic. Immortality is a state that is not subject to change. Is not gold - the only substance that is not exposed to external influence? It is not afraid of alkalis, nor acids, he is not terrible corrosion. It seemed that time itself is powerless before him. Does this metal contain a certain beginning that makes it so? And is it impossible to allocate this substance from it or bring it into the human body along with gold? "Who will take gold inside, says one ancient oriental text," he will live as long as gold. " Such is the traditional base of ancient beliefs: you eat an eagle - you will be like an eagle, eat a heart of a lion - you will be strong as a lion ...

Gold was an indispensable component of different options for elixir immortality. We have reached the recipe, drawn up by a personal doctor of Pope Boniface VIII: It should be mixed in crushed gold, pearls, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, topaz, white and red corals, elephant bone, sandalwood, deer heart, aloe root, musk and ambru. (We hope that Prudence will keep readers from the overall hasty use of the composition given here.)

Not much easier was another composition, which can be found in the same ancient Eastern Book: "You need to take a toad, who lived 10,000 years old, and a bat, who lived 1000 years, to dry them into the shadows, to pull into powder and accept."

But the recipe from the ancient Persian text: "We need to take a person, red and spring, and feed it with fruits up to 30 years, then lower it in a stone vessel with honey and other compositions, to conclude this vessel in the hoops and hermetically closed. After 120 years, his body will contact the mummy. " After that, the contents of the vessel, including what Mumia became, could be taken as healing agents and means extended life.

Initious harvest in this area has brought a particular abundant harvest in this area. It can be mentioned in this connection about a French scientist of the XV century. In search of a life elixir, he boiled 2000 eggs, separated proteins from yolks and, mixing them with water, distilled many times, hoping in this way to extract the desired substance of life.

The obvious meaninglessness of such recipes does not testify more about the meaninglessness of the searches themselves. It became known only what was discarded as unnecessary. But if you judge the history of one or another science only on unsuccessful experiences and failed discoveries, the picture is likely to be about the same.

Experiments in the field of immortality distinguished one circumstance - a complete mystery that surrounded the results. If you imagine that some of these attempts were completed successfully, that is, someone managed to somewhat lengthen their lives, then, naturally, everything was done so that this recipe was not a population. If, by accepting the drug, the object of experience broke up with life, he all could not tell anyone about his sad fate. Such fate suffered, for example, the Chinese emperor Xuanjun (713-756). He went to his royal ancestors much earlier than the deadline only because I had the negligence to accept the elixir of immortality, made by its courthek.

Among the few, about whom we know that they, by accepting Elixir, considered themselves the immortal, was one rich Barin-Philanthrop, who lived in the past century in Moscow, whom all the name was simply by name, patronymic - Andrei Borisovich. To the old age, he began to indulge in various research associated with the elixir of eternal life, guided by mainly his own intuition. And since a person is inclined to believe more than any other authority, it is not surprising that Andrei Borisovich soon was in full confidence that he finally found the desired composition. Like many other seekers of the elixir of immortality, he preferred their find in secret. He himself, he himself so much in the effect of the composition, which really felt the sleek, began to even walk on the dance ... until his last minute he did not doubt his own immortality.

This case reminds the history of another Russian Barin, who lived at around at the same time and also belonged to his own immortality. In the youth, being somehow in Paris, he visited Lenorman's famous predictor. By informing him everything is pleasant and unpleasant that he expects him in the future, Lenorman completed his prediction by the phrase, which put a fingerprint on his own further life.

"I have to warn you," she said, "that you will die in bed."

- When? What time? - The young man turned pale.

The priest shrugged.

Since that minute, he set him a goal to avoid what it seemed to be destined to him by fate. Upon returning to Moscow, he ordered to take out all the beds, sofas, down jackets, pillows and blankets from his apartment. In the afternoon, half a hand, he drove around the city in a carriage, accompanied by Kalmichki key, two lakes and a fatty pug, which he kept. Of all the entertainment available at that time, he most liked to attend the funeral. Therefore, Kucher and Foretor all day chaired in Moscow in search of funeral processions, to which their barin joined immediately. It is not known what he thought, listening to others, - perhaps secretly rejoiced that all this is not related to him, because he does not lie down in bed, and therefore, the prediction cannot come true, and it will thus avoid of death.

Fifty years later he led his duel with fate. But now, once, when, as usual, he stood in the church in the church, believing that he was present at the funeral, his key was almost married him with some kind of elderly friend. This case was frightened by Barin, that a nervous shock was made with him. He was sitting in his chairs with a patient who was sitting in chairs, refusing to obey the doctor and lie down in bed. Only when he weakened so much that he could not resist, the lackeys were put in force. As hardly felt in bed, he died. So strong was faith in prediction?

No matter how great mistakes and mistakes were, contrary to everything, contrary to failures and disappointments, search for immortality, search for ways to extend the life was not interrupted. Errors, ignorance, failures immediately subjected to ridicule. But the slightest step towards success was closed by the mystery.

That is why information about the successes that managed to achieve on this path, are single, scattered and low-storey.

There are, for example, a message about the bishop of Allen De Lyla, the face, really existed (he died in 1278), which was engaged in medicine, - historical Annals referred to him not otherwise as a "universal healer." He allegedly known was the composition of the elixir of immortality or at least a method of considerable extension of life. When he has been for many years and he died of old age, with the help of this elixir he managed to extend his life for another 60 years.

On the same approximately, it was possible to extend his life and Zhang Dalina (34-156), also the face of the historical, the founder of the Tao philosophical system in China. After many years of persistent experiments, he succeeded alleged in the manufacture of a certain similarity of the legendary pecilment of immortality. When he was 60 years old, the chronicles report, he returned his youth and lived to 122 years old.

In one row with these other messages of the ancients. Aristotle and other authors mention Epimenia, priests and a famous poet from Crete Island. It is known that in 596 to the new era, he was invited to Athens to bring clearative victims there. According to the legend, Epimenia managed to extend his life up to 300 years.

But this age is not the limit. The Portuguese court historian tells in his chronicle about a certain Indian, with whom he personally met and talked and who was supposedly 370 years old at that time.

Similar evidence can be attributed to the book that has published in Turin in 1613 and containing the biography of one inhabitant Goa, allegedly lived almost to 400 years. Close to this figure and years of the life of one Muslim Saint (1050-1433), also lived in India. In Rajasthan (India) and now there will be a legend of the hermit of Munisadh, back in the XVI century, which has passedged into the caves near Dholpur and hiding there ... so far.

Roger Bacon, scientist and philosopher Middle Ages, also interested in the problem of extension of human life. In his essay, "De Secretis Operebus" he tells about the German named Papalius, who, who has been captured by Saraqin for many years, learned the secret of making some drug and lived to 500 years. The same number of years calls and Pliny Sr. - precisely to this age, according to his testimony, managed to extend his life to some irlirovac.

An example closer to us in time is the information about Chinese Li Tsagun. He died in 1936, leaving behind the widow, former, according to the record, the 24th his wife. Li Tsanyun, as claimed, was born in 1690, which means he lived 246 years old.

But the strangest and fantastic message from the same row is associated with the name of Indian Tapassji, who lived allegedly 186 years old (1770-1956). At the age of 50, he, being Raja in Patalia, decided to retire in Himalayas to become "on the other side of the human chains." After perennial exercises, Tapasviji learned to dive into the so-called "samadhi" state when life completely seemed to leave his body, and could not take a drink or food for a long time. This practice was reported by the British who served in the colonial administration in India. They told about yoga, which, thoroughly clearing the stomach and intestines, climb their ears and nose wax and plunged into a state resembling winter hibernation insects. In such a state, they were not a day and not two, but for several weeks, after which they were returned to life with the help of hot water and massage.

The fate of Tapasviji may not cause much surprise. Long-livers are known, who naturally lived up to 140-148 years old. In the fact that Tapasviji either someone else, applying a diet and other means, was able to push this limit for another to several decades, there is nothing fundamentally impossible. It will be about the amazing testimony of Tapasviji himself.

Once, he told, from the opposite of Himalayev, he met an old man's hermit. It was fed only by fruits and milk, but looked extremely energetic and vigorous. But, the most amazing, the hermit did not speak any of the modern Indian languages, spoken only on Sanskrit - the language of the ancient India. It turned out that since he came here 5000 years! To prolong its life to such limits, he managed to allegedly thanks to a certain composition, whose mystery he owned. Achievement of age in 5,000 years, any of the "long-livers" has not yet been "overlapped" - neither in historical chronicles, nor in legends or legends.

However, if neither a fantastic similar message, no longer a period of fifty-centuries, all this is not the immortality itself, but only some approaches to it, long-range approaches. That is why scientists and fanatics, philosophers and madmen continued to look at the elixir of immortality - a means capable of granting eternal life. They gave these search years, decades. Sometimes a whole life.

Alexander CAIOSTRO (1743-1795)

Many contemporaries believed that he owns the secret elixir of immortality.

"The greatest charlatan and a deceiver, which the story only knew," they say alone.

"A person who has impossible knowledge and power," say others

... German provincial town with streets, paved slabs, with traditional red tiled roofs and inevitable gothic. Under one of such roofs, in the attic, in a fantastic environment of a flask, a young man sits, retort and crucible. He is busy business no less than fantastic than the situation around him, - by finding the elixir of eternal life. However, the most amazing thing is that this person is no one else, like Goethe, young Goethe, a few years of his life dedicated to the stubborn search for the elixir of immortality. Not wanting to repeat the same mistakes, get into the same deadlocks and wander in the same labyrinths as his predecessors, he carefully studies the work of alchemists, looking for the most forgotten and hidden their works. "I'm secretly trying," he wrote in those years - to learn at least some information from the great books, before which the scientist's crowd wonders, half laughs on them, because it does not understand them. Injury into the secrets of these books is the joy of people wise and noted by a subtle taste. "

So the great poet as an alchemist, the seeker of Elixir immortality turns out to be in one row with people rather strange. One of them was his contemporary - Alexander Caliosro. The greatest charlatan and a deceiver, which the story only knew, - they thought alone. The person who has impossible knowledge and power - so they claimed others.

If we were attended to tell about all the adventures and adventures of this person, we would hardly have enough pages allocated here. In addition to the riddles of its origin and the unknown source of the riches of Caliostro, had another secret. "They say - he wrote at that time one of the newspapers, - County Caliosro possesses all the wonderful secrets of the Great Adept and opened the secret of making a life elixir." Is it not this hearing did Caliosro such a significant figure at the courtyards of the royal persons? So significant that the French king Louis XVI announced that any disrespectfulness or insult to this person would be blocked along with the insult of His Majesty.

During the stay of Caliostro in St. Petersburg, secular ladies affected by the young beauty of his wife Lorenz, were amazed even more, having learned from her words that she was more than forty and that her eldest son had long been the captain in the Dutch army. In response to the natural persisions of Lorentz, somehow "mentioned" that her husband owns the secret of the return of youth.

A strange charm, inherent in Caliostro, a mystery that surrounded him, attracted the attention of the Russian yard. Personal doctor of the Empress Englishman Robertson felt without reason felt in the arrivals of the celebrity of a potential opponent. Using the methods accepted at the courtyard, he tried to blacken the count in the eyes of those who were close to the throne. The naive court telector expected to fight with Caliostro those weapons that he himself owned best, - Intrigue weapons. However, the graph preferred to "cross the swords" on its own terms. He called Robertson on a duel, but the duel is unusual - on poisons. Everyone had to drink poison cooked by the enemy, after which the waven was taken any antidote. With a hardness of a person who has no doubtful, in success, Caliosostro insisted on such conditions of the fight. Frightened by his strange confidence, Robertson refused to accept the challenge. Duel did not take place. Perhaps Robertson reached the elixir of immortality, which allegedly owned his opponent - it is possible that he, like many of his contemporaries, believed in it.

But the favorite of the destiny Count Caliostro too often challenged her, too often did risky bets. In the end, he fell out the "notion", and this card turned out to be the last in his life. Caliostro was captured by the Inquisition, imprisoned, where, as reported, and died in 1795, a chained chain to the wall of a deep stone well.

Personal paper Caliostro, as usual occurred in such cases, were burned. Only a copy of one note is preserved, pre-removed in the Vatican. It gives a description of the process of "regeneration", or the return of youth: "... Having accepted it (two gravity drugs. - Auth.), A person loses the consciousness and gift of speech for two three days, during which he often experiences convulsions, convulsions and on his body is a Spirin. Waking up from this state in which he, however, does not experience the slightest pain, for the thirty-sixth day he takes the third, and the last, bit, after which it flows into a deep and calm dream. During sleep, the skin peels off, teeth and hair falls out. All of them grow again for several hours. In the morning of the fortieth day, the patient leaves the room, becoming a new person, having experienced a complete rejuvenation. "

Some of the above description, it seemed to be a strange description, it reminds the Indian method of returning the youth of Kayakalpa. The course of this, according to his own stories, was twice in their life passed Tapasviji. For the first time he did it when he was 90 years old. Interestingly, his treatment also continued forty days, most of which he also conducted in a state of sleep and meditation. After forty days, he also allegedly grown up new teeth, the former black color got into her hair, and former vigor and power were returned to the body.

However, although in ancient texts, in medieval and later recordings, we find references to similar "regenerations", none of them says about the composition of the drug applied.

Should this be surprised?

3. Living forever?

You heard about the column of Saint-Germain,

about which is told so much wonderful.

(A. S. Pushkin. Peak lady)

The path to immortality was trying to find such many that their efforts could not not give rise to their mythology. According to legends, some managed to find the door leading to immortality. Does this mean that they live among people now, carefully protecting their mystery?

The legends of these, where the truth is intertwined with fiction, should have appeared certainly. They are also inevitable in the history of human thought, as a legend of Dedalie and Ikar - people who managed to climb the sky on the wings. The search for immortality could not be if there were no mysterious rumors that someone managed to reach the desired and move the line that separated it from the rest of the mortals - so the stories about the Eldorado, the legendary country of gold, they encouraged all new bravery to go to her search. People believed and were ready to believe that someone managed to reach immortality, because, this belief left hope, gave a chance to good luck.

The famous Arabic scientist of Biruni wrote in 1000 about a certain Elias, who found the way to immortality in antiquity and continuing allegedly live in his time. Biruni called Elias "Permanent".

Among others, who could be remembered in this regard, one of the first comes to mind the philosopher of the Pythagorean School of Apolonium Tiana (I cent. E.).

In the earliest youth, he refused meat food, considering her "unclean and darling mind," began to walk barefoot, he did without a woolen dress, etc. Having impacted silence for himself, he kept him for five years.

In search of the highest knowledge of Apolloni, the Tiana went to India, famous for his hermits, scientists and secret sciences. On the way, some Damid joined him.

"Let's go together, Apolloi," he said. - You will see that I can benefit. Although I know a little, however, I know the road to Babylon and cities along this road. I finally know, the languages \u200b\u200bof the barbarians, how many are there. The Armenians speak in one language, and the other - Midyans and Persians, and the third - Kaduyan. I know all these languages.

"And I, my dear," Apollonium objected, "I know all the languages, although I didn't study any of them.

Damid expressed his surprise.

"It's not a division that I led me all the human adverbs," the philosopher noticed, "because human silence is also clearly."

Returning from India, Apollonium made many amazing things that remained in the memory of his contemporaries. In the time of Nero, he visited Rome, visited Egypt, Sicily, Gibraltar.

He survived ten emperors, and when the eleventh, Apollonium, Tiana, had returned to Rome's seven-year-old elder. Here, by order of the emperor Domitsian, he was captured and imprisoned. Wanting to show all the infertility of his power, the emperor ordered to organize a trial of a philosopher, so that in his face to turn the dissent itself. On the appointed day and an hour in the magnificently removed hall gathered the most significant citizens of the city. Under the enhanced security was introduced apollonium. But in the most height of the court, when the false witnesses migrated him, accusing to the Blackproof and disrespect for the emperor, in front of all Apollonium disappeared from the crowded hall.

On the same day, several hours later, people who knew Apollonia personally saw him allegedly three days away from Rome.

Soon after a strange disappearance from the Roman court of Apolonian, the Tiana appeared in Greece, where he lived in temples. We are not known, however, nor the time nor the place of death of this philosopher. It was not known to his contemporaries. In the annals of history, he is "missing missing". That is why, remembering many other amazing things that made this man, Solva attributed to him another quality - immortality.

During a number of centuries it was believed that Apollonius, avoiding death, continues to hide somewhere among people. A thousand years have passed, and this rumor, it would seem confirmed. In the XII century, a philosopher and alchemist lived, who called himself with arthius. Many contemporaries believed, however, that the apollonium Tiana is hidden under this larin. We have reached two work signed by arthius - a treatise on philosophical stone and an essay about the ways to extend life. It would seem to whom, how not a great apolloony, write about these subjects? So thought not only contemporaries. Three centuries later, when a typography and treatise of Arthtius appeared about the immortality, he saw the light, in the preface it was said to him that the author had special foundations in order to write this book, because by that time he had lived for 1025 years. This work is abounding with dark hints and underwent, as if writing tried on top of the crowd to turn to those few who could understand him. "A miserable fool - he writes in his address to the reader," Are you so naive that you think that every our word should be understood literally and that we will open you the most amazing out of the secrets? "

Apollonium Tiana (3 G. BC. E. - 97 (?) G. N. E.), Philosopher of the Pythagorean school

During a number of centuries, it was believed that Apollonius, avoiding death, continues to hide somewhere among people under a different name. "About how Apollonius died - if died," say everyone ... "- wrote Flavius \u200b\u200bPhilostrat

Of course, it was not difficult to reproach people who lived once, and in the lungry, and in naivety. But we will not hurry to do it. Who knows what those who will live through the same centuries after us will be able to reproach? The fact that today seems to be incredible today, it did not seem like such people who lived at the time. Apollonium Tiana is not the only example of this. Stories are known and other individuals who have caused at their time no less interest and no less readiness of others believe everything incredible, which was associated with them.

... In 1750, in Paris, only conversations were that about the Graf Saint-Germain. It was a strange person. There were rumors as if the count is known for the path leading to immortality.

Saint-Germain appeared suddenly, without having a past, nor even any little plausible story that could pass over the past. As if somewhere in the wall suddenly the door opened, and this man came out of it. Came out only for when the time will come, disappear over the same door. Just as it was with Caliosostro, and about himself, and we know about the origin of his fantastic wealth as little as his contemporaries.

About himself, the graph preferred not to say, but sometimes, as if by chance, "pronounced." And then from his words it was that he had to personally talk to Plato, with the Senekoy, to know the apostles, attend the Ashurbanipal Pera, and so if, however, he was uncomfortable, as a person who said too much. Somehow, when the count was in Dresden, someone asked him Kucher, is it true that his Mr. 400 years old. He answered very innocently that he did not know exactly.

- ... But for those one hundred and thirty years, that I serve my Mr., his lightness did not change at all.

This strange recognition found itself, however, no less strange confirmation.

Accepted in the best houses, Count fascinated all with his manners, amazing erudition and extraordinary awareness of the past. His appearance led to the amazement and confusion of the elderly aristocrats who came up suddenly that they had seen this person had seen a long time, in childhood, in their grandmothers salons. And since then, they were amazed, he completely did not change outwardly.

It turned out that long before the person suddenly appeared in Paris under the name of Count Saint-German, he was seen in England, they knew in Holland, remembered in Italy. He lived there under various names and titles. And if it were not for the evidence of those who knew him well, it would be possible to think that Marquis Montfer, Count de Bellamy and the same Graph Saint-Germain - various people. It is known about a dozen pseudonyms, under which this person appeared in different places and at different times. In Genoa and Livorno, he gave himself even for the Russian general with almost Russian surname - Saltkov.

Some considered the Graphic Spaniard, others - French or Portuguese, the third - Russian. But everyone converged that the age of the graph is impossible to determine. It was a time when stories related to the search for elixir of the immortality and the "water of eternal life" were fresh in the memory of many. It is not surprising that hearing was gone, as if the secret is known for the secret of the elixir of immortality.

This secret was constantly mentioned by a very respectable newspaper "London Kronik" in the room of June 3, 1760 due to a visit to the Graph Saint-Germain London. In an article with almost in reverent tones, the high advantages of the graph were listed and it was stated about his wisdom that discovered him the secret of the elixir of eternal life. About this elixir for his king and the beloved broke his "first lady of France" by Marquis de Pompadur.

Count Saint-Germain (1710 (?) - 1784 (?))

He was a strange person. Rumors walked as if the count is known for the path leading to immortality. It was a time when stories related to the search for elixir of the immortality and the "water of eternal life" were still fresh in the memory of many.

Saint-Germain appeared suddenly, without having a past, nor even any little plausible story that could pass over the past. Some considered the Graph Spaniard, others - French, the third - Russian

Caliosostro was a Saint-Germa contemporary. In the Protocols of the Court of Inquisition, a story recorded from the words of Saint-German's visit to the Caliosostro is preserved. Caliostro claimed that saw a vessel in which the Count kept the elixir of immortality.

The departure of Saint-Ghermen from France was sudden and inexplicable. Despite the patronage of the Marquis de Pompadur and the greatest attention he surrounded by his king, this strange man suddenly leaves Paris, so that some time it is to appear suddenly in Holstein, where in full alone in his castle he spends somewhat lay down. He also allegedly died in 1784.

But it was a highly strange death. One of the contemporaries, who knew the graph, called it a "imaginary death"; He wrote that he was not named Saint-Germa on either one of the gravestones in the district.

And a year later, Frankmadov meets in Paris. The list of those who attended her was preserved - there are a name of the Saint-Germa name next to the names of Mesmer, Lafahera and others.

After three years, in 1788, the French Messenger in Venice Count Chaln meets Saint-Germa in St. Mark's Square and talks with him.

During the years of the French revolution, the graph was identified allegedly in one of the prisons, where aristocrats were kept. "Count Saint-Germain," wrote one of them in 1790, "still in this world and feels excellent."

Autograph Letter Saint-Germa

30 years after his "imaginary death", the elderly aristocrat Madame Zhanlis, who knew the graph in his youth well, meets this man in the sidelines of the Vienna Congress. He did not change at all, but when the elderly lady with joyful exclamations rushed to him, he, while maintaining courtesy, tried not to delay an unexpected meeting, and he had no more in Vienna.

Where did the one retired dignitornist turned out to be more careful. In recent years, Louis-Philipp's reign, that is, when almost any of the people who knew Saint-Germa, he almost left alive, he noticed a man on one of Paris boulevards, who painfully reminded him of his youth. It was Saint-Germain, all the same as the dignitary knew him many decades ago. But the old man did not rush to the count with exclamations and hugs. He called his chamelner who was waiting in the carriage, and ordered him everywhere to follow this person and find out who he was. A few days later, the old man knew that this man was known in his circle under the name of Major Mill, but, despite his English name, he was not Englishman that he lives alone and, except for two Laces and Kucher, does not hold any servants in the house.

Observing the greatest precautions, the old man appealed to a private detective. But he could only add that "Major" has unlimited funds, about the source of which, as well as himself, nothing is known.

Taking advantage of the fact that now he knew when this person comes out in the evenings on the boulevards, the old man found a reason allegedly accidentally meet him. A couple of times they even have dinner together. As it often happens in the elderly, the old man's sovereign speaks about, the thought of it was involuntarily returned to the past.

- Yes, my young friend, once a cafe knew the best times. I mean not the kitchen and not even the number of visitors, but those who have been here.

- Everything has changed after the convention.

- Yes, after the convention, everything has changed. It seems that the Jacobins decided to arrange their club here, and since then, the walls themselves like others. But once I met here the Marquis de Buafi itself. He came here with his cousin.

- Marquis had two cousins, do you mean Henri?

- No, older. His father or grandfather seems to participated in the war for the Spanish legacy.

- It was his grandfather. Viscount de Poita. Beautiful was a rider. It was better not in his time. But it is a pity, he finally cumshot ...

Sannenik slightly raised an eyebrow that in his time and among the people of his circle was understood as an inconspicuous question, which can be equal to how to answer, and not notice him. The interlocutor, he preferred to answer:

- The fact is that the father of the Viscount - he served him still Majesty Louis XIV - was different not that a disturbing temper, but never could not say what could be expected from him. He could, for example, to invite you to hunt to his estate, and then, when you are missing two days in a carriage on the way from Paris in his castle, it turns out that he himself went to Nantes or ...

"... But this is not the most important thing," the one who introduced himself to the old man as "Major Mill," - someone at the courtyard advised the Viscount to write Campner from Saxony. I will not say which he was a valetor, but a more red man was not, probably, at the time in the whole French kingdom. Viscount for some reason was very proud of it, and one day at the dinner at the Netherlands Messenger, he ...

It was hard to imagine that a person could say that, who was not an eyewitness of what he told about. These were strange meetings, where the memories of the past were indulging, it seemed not an old man, but the youngest interlocutor. Even when it came to the most remote times and distant countries, it was impossible to get rid of the feeling that he says that he saw and heard himself. At one time, many who spoke with Saint-Germain celebrated the same feature of his stories. The old man listened to the voice of this strange man, peered into his face and seemed to be transferred to half a century ago. He himself did not spare time, and this gave him a bitter privilege to be unrecognized who once may have known him.

But in every slip, in every raise on the edge there is a great temptation. And one day, it was in the second or third meeting, the old man could not stand. He said that in a row of the great people of his time he was led to meeting and know the Saint-Germa himself.

The interlocutor shrugged him and spoke about his friend.

This evening, they broke up before usual, and did not come to the next meeting "Major". When the sovereign began to help references, it turned out that he had left for her servants to be unknown.

In the continuation of the years left to live him, the retired dignity was constantly interested, whether his interlocutor was not returned. But he no longer came to Paris.

There are two more later messages associated with the name of Saint-Germa. He allegedly appeared in Paris, already in 1934. And last time - in December 1939. Since, however, by that time there were no people who are personally acquainted with the graph, these are difficult to consider quite reliable. However, this reservation can be done in respect of everything related to the name of Saint-Germain. And not only his one.

Let's, however, try to imagine the impossible. Suppose that of dozens, hundreds and thousands of searched for the elixir of immortality to someone one managed to find a reason for the extension of life. (The fact that an increase in life expectancy in principle may not be denied by modern science.) By making this assumption, we will ask the question: how would a person who has become convinced that such a means really in his hands? Obviously, he would have the hard choice: either to hide from people what it became known to him, or to make it a general heritage. As we know, the latter did not happen.

True, we forgot another opportunity - to refuse immortality. No matter how strange this thought appeared at first glance, but that was what the legends say, Tsar Solomon. When he was offered to elixir immortality, he refused to accept him, because he did not want to survive those who were close to him and who he loved. This legend, at the base of which lies the sad idea that immortality can be a cruel burden, even a curse, anticipates the parable about the Agasfer.

The legend states that when Christ was led to betray his painful execution, an instrument of execution, a heavy wooden cross, he carried on himself. His path to the place of crucifixion was hard and a long. An exhauster, Christ wanted to lean against the wall of one of the houses to pass, but the owner of this house named Agasfer did not allow him.

- Go! Go! He shouted under the approving exclamations of Pharisees. - There is nothing to rest!

"Good," the hands of the lips of Christ kept. "But you will also go all my life." You will wander in the world forever, and there will never be any rest, no death ...

Perhaps the legend would eventually be forgotten, like many others, if after that of the century's century, then there, then a person did not appear here, whom many were identified with the person of the immortal Agasfer.

Italian astrologer Gwido Bonatti wrote about him, the one that Dante in his "Divine Comedy" could be placed in hell. In 1223, Bonatti met him at the Spanish yard. According to him, this man was in due time cursed by Christ and therefore could not die.

Five years later, it mentions the record made in the Chronicle of the Abbey of St. Alban (England). It refers to visiting the Abbey by Archbishop Armenia. To the question, if he heard anything about the immortal Skaltar Agasfer, the Archbishop replied that he had not only heard, but he had repeatedly spoken to him several times. This man, according to him, was at that time in Armenia, he was wise, it was extremely many and knows a lot, in conversation, however, restrained and tells about something, only if he was asked about it. He remembers the events of more than a thousand years ago, remembers the appearance of the apostles and many details of the years of those years, which nobody knows about.

The following message applies already by 1242, when this person appears in France. Then, for a long time, the silence, which is disturbed only after two and a half centuries.

In 1505, Agasfer is declared in Bohemia, after a few years they see it in the Arab East, and in 1547 he is again in Europe, in Hamburg.

About the meeting and conversation with him tells Bishop Sliew Paul von Aitsen (1522-1598). According to his testimony, this man spoke in all languages \u200b\u200bwithout the slightest accent. He led a closed and ascetic lifestyle, did not have any property, except for the dress that was on it. If someone gave him money, he dismissed the poor to the last coin. In 1575 he was seen in Spain; Here, the papal legats with the Spanish court of Christopher Krause and Jacob Holstein appeared with him. In 1599, he saw him in Vienna, where he was heading to Poland, going to get to Moscow. Soon he is really declared in Moscow, where many allegedly also seen it and talked to him.

In 1603, he appears in Lübeck, which was witnessed by the Burgomystrome Kolar, a historian and theologian CMERVER and other officials. "Die 14 Januarii Anno MDCIII," says city chronicle, - Adnotatum Reliquit Lubekae Suisse Judacum Ilium Immortalem, Que Se Christi Crucifixioni Interfuisse Affirmavit »(" Last on January 14th, a famous immortal Jew, which Christ, going to crucifix, appeared in Lübeck, appeared in Lübeck on redemption ").

In 1604, we find this strange person in Paris, in 1633 - in Hamburg, in 1640 - in Brussels. In 1642, he appears on the streets of Leipzig, in 1658 - in Stamford (United Kingdom).

When at the end of the XVII century, the eternal Wanderer was again announced in England, the skeptical of the British decided to check whether he was really the one for whom he was accepted. Oxford and Cambridge sent their professors who arranged to him an explosive exam. However, the knowledge of it in ancient historyIn the geography of the most remote corners of the Earth, which he visited or allegedly visited, were amazing. When he suddenly asked a question in Arabic, he answered this language without the slightest accent. He spoke almost in all languages, both European and eastern.

Soon, this man appears in Denmark, and then in Sweden, where the traces of it are lost again.

However, we meet the mention of this mysterious personality and later. In 1818, 1824 and 1830, he or someone who issued himself for him appears in England.

We can not know if we cannot say today, what is the initial fact standing for the legend about the Agasfer. The famous doctor and scientist Middle Ages Paracels wrote in one of his treatises: "There is nothing that could save the mortal body from death, but there is something that can push the death, to return youth and extend a brief human life."

4. Through the time barriers

The idea of \u200b\u200bthe maximum extension of human life today is increasingly associated with science. One of the first to come to this was Roger Bacon. "The Human Body," he wrote, "you can release all the wrongness and continue our life for many centuries." R. Bacon meant meaningful, directional impact on the human body.

In the fact that over time, such an impact will be possible, another well-known scientist believed - Benjamin Franklin. He stated that in the future, a person could live more than a thousand years. It was said in the years when people lived in candles and went to Karen, when the best minds had no idea about things known to any student.

An even greater optimist regarding the possibilities of science was the French Philosopher's Humanist of the XVIII century Condorce. He believed that the life expectancy of a person, increasing from the century to the century, may eventually approach infinity, that is, to immortality.

The problem of human immortality was reflected by K. E. Tsiolkovsky. "Life has no definite size and can be eliminated to a thousand years," he wrote. - the uncertain lengthening of life science will achieve sooner or later. " The famous English scientist J. Bernal also believed that over time, people would comprehend the secret of the endless extension of their lives.

At the heart of this hope, it is not just a deification of science, which, they say, everything can, and if it can not today, it will be able tomorrow, and not the blind desire of a person to live as much as possible, but the idea of \u200b\u200bthe principled possibility of unlimited extension of the life of a separate individual.

At the end of the last century, the German zoologist August Weisman came to the conclusion that the death of an individual is not at all the inevitable finals defined by its very biological nature. According to his thoughts, if immortality is almost possible for unicellular, it is also fundamentally achievable for a person.

According to the American physics of the Nobel Prize laureate, R. Feynman, if a person had repeated to build an eternal engine, he would face a ban in the form of a physical law. In contrast to this situation in biology there is no law that would affirm the obligatory limb of the life of each individual. That is why, he believes, the question is only in time when the human body can get rid of dooms.

The well-known Soviet scientist, President of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR V. F. Kurevich also believed that the immortality of man is fundamentally achievable.

Some even try to name the time when it becomes possible. So, the English scientist and writer A. Clark believes that immortality will be achieved by 2090. Of course, this is a bold forecast. Because it is one thing - to argue that the problem is solvable in principle, and the other is to call the specific time to solve it. True, the courage is not needed anywhere as in science. And the problem of immortality, having ceased to be the object of serve single, becoming more and more problem of science. That is why today you can call the main directions of this search.

External factors. A number of researchers consider the main factors that determine the life expectancy of a person, his immediate environment, the genus of classes and lifestyle.

Some of these researchers are trying to find a certain pattern, studying the lifestyle of long-livers, their inclinations, etc. and indeed, curious facts are revealed. So, from among those who lived over one hundred years 98 percent of men and 99 percent of women were married; 61 percent of them worked in agriculture, 16 percent in industry. And only 4 percent of the long-livers amounted to workers of mental labor. It would seem that the mapping is convincingly saying that the land is much more useful for the body than to write poems or engage in higher mathematics.

But is it? The numbers really reflect certain patterns, but they do not reflect only a picture of professional employment, which one she was one hundred years ago, when the present long-livers elected themselves. In other words, if from 100 people approximately 61 engaged in agriculture, 4 - mental activity, then the ratio of these in general, among long-livers. Thus, these figures do not give an answer to main question: What is the reason for the long life of people?

When a democritus, who also lived over one hundred years, the contemporaries asked how he managed to lengthen her life and preserve health, he answered that he had achieved this because he had always ate honey and rubbed his body with oil.

Of course, a democritus could argue that many of them did this in his time, however, such brilliant results did not bring any of them. Consequently, as in the previous example, it turns out to be difficult to establish a direct connection between the lifestyle and its duration.

There are also attempts to trace the dependence between the edible diet and longevity. At one time, I. I. Mesnikov believed that the cause of aging was the body's self-determination by microorganisms living in the intestine. To suppress their disadvantage, he offered every day to eat a glass of prokokvashi overnight.

A certain relationship between nutrition and the aging of the body is obviously. This is confirmed by the experiments of the Institute of Physiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. Entering a special power supply for experimental rats, they achieved amazing results: two-year rats, which are believed to be in the "senile" age, began to behave like young three-month. But the most important thing in their body, as reported, no changes related to the occurrence of old age were found.

The Laureate of the Nobel Prize Lainus Pauling claims that "with the help of appropriate nutrition and several vitamins, you can slow the aging processes and lengthen the human life on average for twenty years." The results obtained on experimental animals give rise to even more bold forecasts.

For more than a quarter of a century, Dr. Cleve McCay from Cornell University is engaged in such experiments. Forcing mice to starve two days a week, he achieved that the duration of their lives increased by one and a half times. When he cut their diet by a third, their life lengthened almost twice.

These laboratory results are very clearly correlated with what is known about the way of life of long-livers. Soviet gerontologists conducted a survey of 40,000 people who survived to deep old age and preserved good health at the same time. It turned out that they all showed moderation at the table. The same trait revealed American gerontologists from south American long-livers living in the Anda region.

And one more feature of long-livers allocate researchers - the predominance of good feelings and positive emotions. They do not proceed angrily, annoying or hatred. They do not envy. The heart of each of them is always fulfilled by the joy of being, thanks for every new day of life. They rejoice in happiness, luck, the success of another just as if it were their own happiness, luck, success.

However, some, perhaps, the life expectancy does not depend on either from food or from emotions, nor from the kind of classes. In the body of each laid some biological clock, and, whatever we do, we cannot slow down, nor speed up their move. And the arrow of the call from everyone stands at its mark: some before, others later. And this "earlier" or "later" is stated allegedly from birth.

The idea that the life expectancy to some extent is programmed, possibly genetically, confirmed by some observations. The fact that there are families in which from generation to generation live to old age, it was noticed for a long time. Gerontologists sometimes remember this legend in this regard. In 1654, Cardinal D "Armagnac, passing down the street, noticed the crying 80-year-old old man. To the question of Cardinal, the old man replied that he was crying because he broke his father. Surprised Cardinal said he wants to see his father. He was presented to the old man 113 years old, Very vigorous for his age. "I beat my son," said the old man, "for disrespect for her grandfather. He walked past him, without bowing." In the house of Cardinal saw another old man, who was 143 years old.

The idea of \u200b\u200bgenetic programming has gained and experimental confirmation. When the long-lived selection began among rats, it was possible to get a certain breed with a maximum life expectancy. Moreover, the quality was hereditary.

But if the biological watches are really laid in our body and count the pre-balanced days, months and years of our being, a great temptation to get to them. And coming, stop or at least slow down their move. A similar attempt was made. True, not against a person.

After the octopus female lays eggs, it turns out to be considered. Gradually, she starts to lose appetite, it becomes more and more sluggish and dies after 42 days. Everything happens with such an inevitable sequence, as if it really acted a time-hour mechanism. And this mechanism was discovered. Behind the eye depressions at octopus, glands are placed, the functions of which until recently remained unclear. It turned out that these are "glands of death." If one of them, the lifetime of the fog of octopus lengthened for two months. When both were removed, her life was lengthened by even eleven months.

But although scientists believe that the discovery is may indicate ways to extend the life of a person, nature, it is necessary to think, not so simple so that it can be so easy to circumvent it. And indeed, a human cell, both in the body and outside it - grown in the test tube, has a certain, strictly diedful life - 50 divisions. After which she dies. All efforts, all attempts to increase the number of divisions were unsuccessful. These experiments convinced Heronatologists: hours of life, inexorably leading time account, are in chromosomes, in the core of each cell.

New elixir immortality? The famous Russian scientist V. M. Bekhterev was engaged in the problem of immortality. I. I. Mesnikov hardly worked on this task, which was trying to get some serum, which would stimulate the activity of the cells and thereby rejuvenate the whole organism. In essence, it was one of the options of the same elusive "elixir of immortality", only at the level of science. Some likeness of such serum was manufactured by the Soviet Academician A. A. Bogomolem. This composition increased the stability of an aging organism and did produced a certain rejuvenating effect.

By the same purpose, the Swiss doctor P. Nigans sought in other ways. He tried to rejuvenate the body, introducing a serum from the tissues of the newborn lanes into it.

Some properties of rejuvenation possess, the various compositions are found. Thus, in the experiments conducted in the 2nd Moscow Medical Institute, the mice was injected with a royal milk bees. As a result, the life expectancy of experimental increased twice!

Soviet scientists have developed a drug NRV - oil growth. After receiving the HDV, the performance increased, the gray-haired people got dark hair, improved fabric exchange, etc. However, with a long test, this version of the "Elixira of Youth" did not meet himself. (Now HPV as a stimulating agent is allowed only for outdoor use.)

But most of all hopes and expectations on the return of youth and the extension of life are associated with hormones. When the elderly began to introduce a thyroid hormone, the results were amazing: it began literally rejuvenating the entire body. However, the beneficial effect turned out to be short.

One of the researchers working in this area, the American doctor Robert A. Wilson, set himself a noble, but a difficult task - to return the youth to women. They developed a difficult course of treatment, which includes a certain diet, receiving vitamins and salts in combination with the injection of female sex hormones of estrogen and progesterone. As stated, he managed not only to suspend age-related shifts occurring in the body, but also to cause something like a reverse process. And that is especially important, these changes touched not only the general condition, but also appearance, which women, not without reason, give such great importance.

For several years now, in one of the Swedish clinics, successful work with Hormone Timosin is underway. Mice experiments exceeded all expectations and hopes. The hormone slowed down the aging process so much that the time for them would be stopped. Injections of hormone did both patients. The correspondent who visited the clinic met a woman there, which was about 60 years old. It turned out that in fact she was 89 years old. The doctor he himself engaged in these experiments believes that the systematic introduction of the hormone could increase the life expectancy of up to 130 years.

In the light of these facts, it does not seem to be an exaggeration of a "rejuvenating hormone" message for some insects, which managed to highlight in one of the laboratories. The introduction of this hormone is able to provide an insect stay in the "young age" unlimited time. Opening This, like the others, about which was discussed, gives hope that sooner or later, such a hormonal composition can be found for a person.

But you may consider others, the case is not at all in hormones. We are chuck, they say, not hurt roots. The roots of aging in the other - in the fact that as far as years in the body, a large number of fragments of molecules with high electrical potential are accumulated, the so-called "free radicals". They cause unwanted and irreversible changes in the body. If you find a way to neutralize them ...

And here received messages about the first steps. The simplest means was applied - preservatives used in industry to prevent oil damage. Experience on mice showed: individuals from the experimental group lived almost one and a half times longer than from the control group. With regard to a person, this means that life could be extended on average up to 105 years. Modest result? Maybe. But this is just the beginning. If we learn to neutralize "free radicals," consider some scientists, human life can be extended to several centuries.

There are other directions. And they promise even more.

Here is a person who is not much different from others. It is rather different at all. And only touched upon by chance his hands, you can feel that it is unusually cold. Feel - and not to give this value. Or - to give, if we know that it can mean. If we know about the experiments that are currently underway to artificially reduce body temperature.

If the thermostat of our body is a hypothalamus - to introduce a solution of sodium and calcium, can be determined in a certain way to adjust the temperature of the whole organism. Taking this manipulation with monkeys, it was possible to reduce the temperature of their body by as much as 6 °. At the same time, the monkeys themselves did not frizzly, were neither sleepy nor sluggish - there were no side effects.

Now in line with people and experiences on a person.

But - why, what is the point of this?

The meaning is still the same - the extension of life. If the human body temperature is only 2 °, the duration of his life will increase an average of up to 200 years. At the body temperature, 33 ° is expected to live about 700 years! According to the researcher, "If the thermostat is adjusted to a lower temperature, there is no reason to assume that we will feel differently than at 37 °, we will react to changes in the external temperature just like now."

It is assumed that the tool for such a decrease in temperature will be produced in the form of a pill, which can be used. When? Usually, the period from the discovery of the drug to its mass production and sale - 5-6 years. If the discovery is tested on volunteers and justifies itself, perhaps such a drug will begin to be produced in the coming years.

In the very variety of ways, which are the search for a new "elixir of immortality", there is no contradiction. One way illuminates the search on another path, in another direction. By 2000, some futurologists consider to be applied in practice about 40 different ways of extension of life.

The results of the experiments of the last years and decades - do not they say that the messages of ancient about the "elixirs of youth" and eternal life are not such fairy tales? Maybe, in the evidence that had reached us, there was a reflection of some memory, some kind of reality was preserved?

With a stranger body. In one of the foreign scientific research institutes, the scientist demonstrated a strange frog. Strange was not her appearance - her behavior was strange. Instead of jumping into the water, any other would have done in her place, she was taken to search in the ground Nerur to break into her. Yes, and their other habits were unusual for a froggy tribe. This incomprehensible behavior was explained quite unexpectedly.

"We transplanted the brain toad in the head of the frog," the scientist told. - And here is the result: the frog is moving, like the tob ...

This experiment was held in 1963. Then many have believed that if such experiments can be able to succeed in lower animals, then the highest are doomed to failure. But this misconception was refuted when the Soviet Experimentator Experimentator Professor V. N. Demikhov managed to transplant the head of one dog on the torso. In the two ways created in this way, conventional reflexes were not disturbed. It lived, however, for a short time - two to three days.

The experiences of Professor Demikhov called a great resonance in the scientific world. Commenting on its achievement, the famous American neurosurgeon R. White wrote that "while these works, apparently, it is almost impossible to duplicate on a person, although it is fundamentally such an opportunity to be recognized."

This possibility largely depends on how successful the transplantation of other human organs - kidneys, liver, hearts will be ultimately. If it is possible to finally solve the problem of tissue incompatibility, the path to experiments in this area will be opened. In any case, today in the circles of researchers, the question is discussed, which will be more expedient - the transplant of the whole head or only the human brain. According to R. White, the brain transplantation may be preferable. "An assumption arises," he said in an interview with the "literary newspaper" - that the brain, the most noble body of the human body, possibly, will not be subject to the rehabilitation process, which is subject to less important, less "noble" authorities. " Theoretically, already now can be represented in the future of people whose brain, the carrier of their individuality, will move many times from one body to another.

Space rocket one after another separates, throws its steps in flight, in order to further throw a small capsule into space. Also also a person. One after another he will discard the bodies who became unnecessary to him. But every such action will continue to carry it away in a direct time - from the century to the century and from the Millennium from the Millennium.

Life of one personality, her memory will be in need of whole epochs human history. It is quite clear that thinking, the perception of the world in such an personality will be very different from the thinking and perception of a modern person with his life-limited few dozen years.

Everything that was before, the collisions of the political struggle, war, diplomatic intrigues, etc. - all this will be in his eyes, according to the expression of K. Marx, just the "prehistory of mankind". And somewhere there, in this "prehistory", the generation will remain hopelessly, the foundation of the society of the future was noticed on whose labor and blood. That future, which we are powerless to predict in all its completeness, but the vague premonition of which the prophecies were fulfilled even far from us. Not about the future wrote for almost two millennia ago by the author "Apocalypse" - about the days when "death will not be already; Neither cry, nor a scream, no illness will not be "?

We talked about the opportunity to unlimitedly extend the life of an individual, carrying his brain, that is, his consciousness, from one body to another. It is not excluded, however, that at some stage a person will be able to abandon the body given to him in general. It is expressed by the idea that almost a complete set of artificial organs of the human body will be created in the near future: artificial lungs, artificial hearts that will work more reliable than real, artificial hands and legs managed by human biotoks, etc. In Moscow in one A model of a human hand has been created, which can be controlled and manipulated with biotoks. If you squeeze and explain the hand, the pulses that are removed from your hand and are heading to her artificial copy, make it repeat each of your gesture, every movement. What if, when having received the opportunity to replace fragile and short-lived parts of your body with similar devices, a person will ever learn to look at the body that has given him from birth, as on a certain barbaric attack, as on a painful reminder of his animal origin? Maybe some consider some, in the future, a person will also be easily parted with this excessive appendage of his "me", as he leaves his appendix today. The capacity of his individuality, his consciousness - the brain will gain a stronger and reliable shell. It will be a body constructed from synthetic materials that obedize orders emanating from the human brain placed in it. Separate nodes and parts of this "body", like all it will be replaced and therefore almost eternal.

To designate this form of a person's symbiosis and a car, American scientists M. Klaips and N. Clayni created even a special term - "cyborg". Some believe that it is in such a form of a reasonable life from the ground that will settle through the most remote space spaces.

Indeed, the advantages of cyborgs compared to people, burdened body, are obvious. First, and most importantly, it is almost unlimited life. Secondly, cyborgs will not need an atmosphere, so they will be able to live in an airless space - on the moon, on asteroids, on planets with an atmosphere of methane or carbon dioxide, where a person who obcomds the needs of the body could not exist and instantaneous. Thirdly, cyborgs do not need food. The only thing they need is obtaining energy from a external source to maintain the biological conditions of the brain.

The brain living separately from the body is no longer from the field of science fiction. In the laboratories, experiments were carried out over an isolated brain monkey and dog. The brain was placed in the conditions that ensured the maintenance of its livelihoods. And it turned out that all the readings of the insulated brain differ little from the brain testimony under normal conditions. Therefore, if it was possible to enable information in this insulated brain, and pulses addressed to various parts of the body, transmit artificial (and existing) models, the first version of the "cyborg" could be created.

The ability to freely design your body will open the most unlimited perspectives in front of a person. Is two legs really - is it a comfortable design for movement? Is two hands enough, and is it not better to replace their dozen supreets located all over the body? Isn't it not to lose nature that a person does not distinguish between ultraviolet or infrared rays that he sees only what is happening in front of him, but not from behind and on top? Or question about contacts. Without resorting to a radio or telephone, people can come into contact at a distance not exceeding the possibilities of their voice ligaments. Obviously, this is not the limit of the desired. Cyborg will probably be able to talk at huge distances using VHF or other communication channels. The evolution on which nature would be required by hundreds of centuries will be committed in laboratories for years or even months.

Although the work in this direction is quite intensively, it is difficult to say when, after what period of time, the pictures drawn by us will begin to gain the features of reality. According to R. White, a human brain transplant to another body will be possible only after a few decades. This is a very careful forecast. Oddly enough, when it comes to the deadlines of the alleged discovery, many scientists exhibit similar skepticism and restraint. No one else, as A. Einstein, to the question, will people succeed in to free the energy of the atomic nucleus in the coming centuries, exclaimed:

- Oh, it is completely excluded!

It was told only ten years before the explosion of the first atomic bomb.

Reproducing copies with themselves. Oddly enough, it all develops so that in the scientific searches of immortality an ally and assistant person is not so much a traditional guinea pig or a monkey, how much frog. It she paved the first trail to the brain transplant. She also pointed out the other path leading to immortality - the reproduction of a copy of the copy itself.

Each of the cells constituting a living being, keeps all the genetic information necessary for the formation of a new organism in its kernel. This information seems to sleep, and until recently, all attempts to activate it were in vain. A few years ago, it managed to make scientists of Oxford University in England. In the course of experiments from the cell of the intestinal epithelial of an adult frog, a new part was grown, which appeared as if the biological twin first. It was a copy distinguished from the original only by age.

Experiments caused a sensation, "because - as one of the newspapers wrote, - it follows that, at least theoretically, the mass production of identical twins is possible. Including man twins. " According to the director of the international laboratory of genetics and biophysics in Naples A. Buzzati-traverse, "Applying this method to a person, that is, taking the cells of the cells in an adult person (which he has an almost unlimited number) and growing them in cells devoid of kernels , we could grow any necessary number of individuals genetically identical to us; We could in a certain sense to ensure our immortality, since this operation could be repeated unlimited number of times. "

This means that the person when he will be, say, 80 or 90 years old, could repeat itself, reappearing as a newborn. However, there would be an exact copy of biologically and externally, it will be endowed with his own consciousness. In this sense, this will be another individual, and his memory, his joy and sadness, love and dislike will be far from the prototype.

True, the well-known Soviet scientist P. K. Anokhin highlighted the hypothesis, according to which the hereditary transfer of information obtained by a person during life is fundamentally possible. In this case, "a copy person" will be a memory of everything that happened to the "original" will keep it in itself as memories of his own life. Thus, it will be possible to achieve the full identity of individualities. The chain of an individual consciousness, moving from the body into the body, will not be interrupted. The memory of the life of the past, already constituted and non-existing bodily shells will be just as unforgettable as our memories of the day, lived yesterday, a month ago or last year.

Through the cold to eternity. What was found on that day working and gold killers of one of the cloisters on Kolyma, the least was like a nugget. But the revival and disputes that the find caused was more than if they really came across the golden custody. From the transparent block of ice raised from the eleven meters of depth, enlarged into it, as in the glass, looked at the seekers a strange creature. A small, length of about 10 centimeters, it was like a living.

But the most incredible happened when the ice melted. The creature is - they turned out to be amphibian, the Siberian corner - moved, even widerly revealed the eyes of beads and tried to whisk somewhere to hide from the people overlooking him.

Amazing Nakhodka was reported to the Zoological Museum of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. Soon the guest from permafrost, alive and good to health, was in Kiev. Usually the life expectancy of the coal - 10-15 years. If it turned out that this instance is older, it would mean one thing: for a number of years he really spent in this block of ice in this lump, deep underground. Well-worked radiocarbon method made it possible to answer this question. The age of the corner, brought from the Kolyma, approached 100 years. So, at least 85-90 years ago, this creature turned out to be frozen in the block of ice and the time for him would be stopped.

But it turned out that 100 years - not the limit for such a throw in time. It was possible to revive the Hidorus rake, which had broken in the annotation in the anabiosis of the whole 20,000 years!

Until recently, many have been confident that this can only occur with cold-blooded, but not with mammals and in any case not with a person. However, it becomes more difficult to preserve this confidence every year.

To confirm the principled possibility of returning to life after "deadly freezing", American researchers have experienced dogs. Twelve dogs were frozen and after a two-hour stay in this state returned to life. 30 minutes after the revival, they could walk, then drink water, and after a few hours and eat.

From time to time, similar experiments, in addition to the will of people above them, puts the case.

... late at night Leningrad Chauffeur Vasily Sh. Returned home. At one of the deserted streets, he suddenly became bad, he fell into the snow and lost consciousness. There was a 30-degree frost. When the "ambulance" was picked up by the morning, the pulse was no longer supported. Chin, hand and leg brushes were covered with inheree and ice crust. The ice was in the mouth. Doctors stated "deadly freezing."

Nevertheless, everything was done to return the victim to life.

"First, S. placed in a warm bath," Professor L. F. Volkov told the correspondent, - then introduced cardiac and toning funds, after which they put on the skeleton bed on which the electrollamp was strengthened. Thanks to the vigorous warming, the patient began to feel better. Now he is already walking, the mood is excellent. "

This case is far from the only one. We must think, only a small part of such incidents falls on the pages of the press. And even a smaller share of them is caught someone's attention, remains in memory.

In the winter of 1987 in the Mongolian steppe frozen boy. He lay 12 hours on the snow at 34-degree frost. The body turned into an ice statue. There were no signs of life - neither breathing nor a pulse.

Apparently, Mongolian doctors had experience in such situations. After some time, a pulse appeared, not even a pulse - barely noticeable beating, two strikes per minute. Many hours passed before the breath appeared and the resuscitative workers heard a weak boy. A day later he moved his finger, then - with hand. The heart began to work smoothly and more and more often, returning to normal. And after another 24 hours the boy opened his eyes. Consciousness completely returned to him. Therapeutic procedures and observations continued from a week, after which the boy was discharged and sent home with the conclusion: "There are no pathological changes."

Obviously, in a state of anabiosis somewhere deep in frozen cells, under the layer of seed muscles, a weak spark of life will be warm. The task is to not give out this spark. In order to be able to return a person to life not only a few hours or days later, and either years or even a century.

Theoretically, man, plunging in Anabiosis, can program his awakening at the twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth or thirtieth century. He may wish to wake up in a thousand years or in two thousand. If today it is incurably sick, he can approve the conditions to be dismissed when the method of treating his illness will be found.

This was done, for example, American James Bedford, a 73-year-old professor of psychology. His body, from which blood pumped, replacing it with a special fluid, was placed in the freezer, where cooled liquid nitrogen circulates continuously. The decision of the professor in a frozen form to go to the future caused a completely understandable resonance. Some journalists are called: "Well, the Bedford will be surprised when he remains the dead man!" Nevertheless, after him, a few hundred people in the United States and Japan went over the fridge in eternity. In special cryonical centers, concluded in transparent capsules, which streamlined liquid nitrogen, cooled to -360 °, are alien to both life and death, they float on the waves of time to the future.

Professor Paul Seagal has developed a method that allows a "client", whose clock is considered, sharpened in the freezer even before clinical death. "There," says Professor, "he will stay until science will be able to overcome his illness and provide him with a new life."

Several dozen French people also decided to follow this example. Each of them is constantly carrying a blue card, where the following text is printed: "I, below, I wish, in the event of my death body, my body was immediately frozen and preserved at a possible low temperature."

The main thing, however, is not that the immersion in Anabiosis will allow a person to overcome huge distances in time and live in different centuries or even thousands of years. Many wish to go to the future, movable not only a purely tourist interest and curiosity. Going at this journey in freezers, they will hope to get into the world, which will come close to the solution of the problem of immortality, and maybe it will decide it.

I must say that such a trip on the pocket is very few. Today in France the right to be frozen worth 128,000 francs. It is not surprising that the first 40 French, who have decided to acquire a chance to immortality, are millionaires.

Just as the ancients did not imagine the afterlife, otherwise, both the repetition and continuation of their everyday being, and today, many in the West do not imagine that the future society does not have a copy of the current capitalist world. Ancient put next to the dead all that, as they believed, may need him in the afterlife. Similarly, those who are in our time decide to go through the refrigeration chamber in the future, try to get a decent account in the bank. It turns out that in order to wake up a millionaire in 300 years, today it is enough to put 1000 dollars in a bank. Three percent of the annual in a hundred years will turn this amount at 19,000, through two hundred - 370,000, and by the time of the alleged awakening, each such inhabitant of the refrigerator will, according to the calculations, have 7,000,000 dollars.

It seems, however, that by that time, millions prepared by the future for the future will be also useless practically, as today those stone axes to a spear who carefully put ancient in their burials. From money that has lost its meaning will be, of course, refuse. But what to do with the same atavista spiritual luggage, which will inevitably accompany the man trying through the door of the refrigeration chamber to enter the coming?

The society of the future seems to us by the Company of the unprecedented rates of evolution - not only scientific and technical and social, but, most importantly, moral. And the more intense this process will be performed, the more subsequent generations will differ from those who lived to them. Imagine what will happen if during this accelerated evolution people reached immortality. The generations will stop replacing each other, they will lay down one thing, while people will not be buried under the underclose of the born long before them.

Should I exclude each other from this that the immortality of the individual and the evolution of humanity?

In the Soviet Union, during one of the sociological studies, a group of from-1224 people were invited to answer, in particular, to such a question: would they agree to personal immortality if they knew that as a result, the progress on Earth would cease?

Over 90 percent of respondents rejected immortality, bought by such a price.

It should be thought that in the future this point of view will share an increasing number of people. They will find the strength to abandon the personal immortality in order for all humanity to approach the heights of intellectual and moral evolution, because it is in this sense of the continuous progress of mankind. V. M. Bekhterev wrote in his work "Immortion of the Human Personality from the point of view of science" that the goal of the evolution of society is the creation of a "higher in the moral sense of a human being".

However, the number of years may not be the only and not the main measure of the life expectancy of a person. At one of the tropical islands, Charlie Chaplin was attended somehow with a curious conversation. The American tried to find out from the old man Aborigina, how old he is.

- And when was the earthquake? - asked the old man.

- Twelve years ago, - answered American.

- Well, by that time I already had three married children.

"I lived to two thousand dollars," and explained that this was the amount he managed to spend in his life.

The countdown is carried out here not in abstract astronomical units showing how many times the land went around the sun, but in the events of a particular human life. This view is unusual for European thinking, but distributed among other cultures.

In the future, as the hands of human civilizations are rapping, this opinion may turn out to be a clear majority. Then to the question of the age of a person will be called the perfect, achieved by him, and not a measure of biological being. Perhaps this is the true age of man - his spiritual age.

Then, in response to such a question, a person can say:

- I cured a thousand patients.

- I raised fifty yields.

- I brought up three children.

In the unbelongable future, approaching the heights of his evolution, a person will find, perhaps the moral right to exist forever. Then immortality will not be an award for the verdict of the human mind, but the biological crown of his entire moral evolution.

But if so, if a person can take advantage of immortality only at the highest stages of his development, why then are all past searches, discoveries and finds? What is the effort of modern science and even science of the foreseeable future? Should not from what is said above that all this is deprived of meaning?

It would seem that such a conclusion suggests itself, lies on the surface. However, like a multiply lying on the surface, it is false.

As you know, the spartak rebellion did not eliminate the slavery. Jump "Siver Nikita" on homemade wings with a bell tower did not led to the creation of an aircraft. Swimming of Vikings across the Atlantic for many centuries to Columbus was not opening America.

Why today, when we talk about the history of the revolutionary struggle of the masses for freedom, about the history of aeronautics or the history of geographical discoveries, do we remember these events? Events that seem to have no continuation and did not lead to anything.

The fact is that each of them, without even completing a concrete result, was a step in the development of spiritual and moral qualities of a person. Therefore, the Spartak's blood spilled in vain, there were no discoveries, who had ahead of their time, rejected and forgotten. There were no high feats of mind and hearts in vain, even if no one had learned about them and they did not change the world. All these were the steps of human development.

The same steps are essentially the case and search for immortality, the possible achievement of him and even the refusal of immortality in the name of the life and improvement of all mankind.

If a person comes to physical immortality as a result of his evolution, it is immortality, perhaps he will not help him of that interest and will not seem to him so valuable as it seemed yesterday and what it seems today. Because the norms, estimates and criteria of the perfect person will be largely different from our presentations today.

It can be assumed that ancient really knew some means of extension of life, and even a very significant time. It can be assumed that the search for modern science will be discovered in the end of the way to extending life for decades, maybe for centuries. But no less legitimate and the other, perhaps the main thing, thought is the idea that you do not need anything that I do not need to look for immortality, because the person is initially endowed with them. And not in some allegorical sense or portable meaning, but in direct.

Just as a magnet is something more than just a piece of metal that our eyes perceive, a person is also something more than his physical appearance, accessible by our senses. In addition to the biological system of the body, researchers believe, there is a certain structure - a biological field surrounding the physical body of a person, permeating and filling it ("bioplasma", according to the terminology of the doctor of biological sciences V. M. Inyushina).

In the book of Soviet philosopher A. K. Maneyev "Philosophical Analysis of the Antinomy in Science" is devoted to this issue a large chapter. Given the words of Hercelit "The power of thinking is outside the body," the author expresses the idea that it may seem strange to someone who is not familiar with all the moves of his reasoning: a structure that creates thought is a biological field - "field formation of biosystems". Accordingly, the whole life experience of a person, the situation he survived, all the words that they were told and which he heard - all this is fixed by its biological field and is stored in the form of peculiar holograms, "What may indicate, in particular, a phenomenon The memory of highly organized creatures.

In other words, the "field structure" is the repository of our memory, the generator of thinking - it turns out to be a carrier of human individuality, our "I". This provision follows an important conclusion.

The radiated fields continues Maneyev, may exist independently of their source. Let's say the radio transmitter was silent, and radio waves continue to rush through the space, carrying information that was laid in them. Or: the star went out long ago, the light continues her way in space, carrying a wide range of data on the body, which is physically no longer, but which continues to exist for the observer. "It is so possible," Maneyev believes, is the existence of both bioplas, "emitted" at the death of the body, but still retaining all the information about him. " In other words, the death of the physical body does not mean the disappearance of the field formation, which is the memory carrier and the individuality of the person. Consequently, the scientist concludes, it is possible to ask the question "On the principal achievability of individual immortality arising from the biosystems, since it will think possible on the basis of the specific sustainability of biopoles."

The study of biological fields is busy today scientists of different specialties - doctors, biologists, engineers of the widest profile. The main idea that is present at scientific conferences dedicated to this problem is only at the very beginning of the road. Maneyev's hypothesis, perhaps one of the steps on this path, the complete greatest surprises.

We talked about the problem of immortality, about the search for ways to him in antiquity, these days, about the likely directions of these searches in the future. They also said that the immortality of a person may exist in some form - regardless of our efforts, thoughts and tricks. It is possible for another course of thought, testifying in favor of this.

As you know, our universe is expanding. This process began 15-22 billion years ago, when the whole mass of the universe was compressed, as if they were squeezed into a kind of point, the "source drop of space".

It is not known why, because of what reasons, this condition was broken and there was something that is indicated by the term "big explosion" today. Split, expanding in all directions, Matter moved to lifeless, creating space and starting a countdown. So sees the formation of the universe modern cosmogony.

However, the expansion of the Universe cannot be infinite. It will continue only until some moment, after which the process will turn back - the galaxies will begin to get closer, tightened again in a kind of point. Following them will be tightened, shrink to the point space. As a result, the astronomers call today "collapse of the Universe."

What will happen next after the Universe returns to the state of the "cosmic egg", will be squeezed into some kind of starting point? After that, a new cycle will begin - another "big explosion" will occur, "neopoprimattery" rushes in all directions, spreading and creating space, will arise galaxies, star clusters, planets, life. Such is, in particular, the cosmological model of the American Astronoma J. Willer, the model alternately expanding and "challenging" the universe. The famous scientist Kurt Moodymmatically substantiated this model.

How does this processes present modern cosmogony? The famous American physicist, the Nobel Prize winner, S. Weinberg describes them. After the start of compression, it will not happen anything for thousands and millions of years, which could cause the alarm of our remote descendants. However, when the universe will be squeezed to 1/100 of the present size, the night sky will exhibit as much heat to Earth as the day today. After another 70 million years, the Universe will decline even ten times, and then "our heirs and successors (if they) will see the sky unbearably bright." And after another 700,000 years, the cosmic temperature will reach 10 million degrees, stars and planets will begin to turn into space "soup" from radiation, electrons and nuclei ...

The universe, "challenging" to the point and expanding again, does it repeat the preceding cycles? Not necessarily, some cosmologists are responsible. If at the time of the formation of the new universe, the physical conditions will differ even in the most insignificant way, in this next universe may not be carbon necessary for the occurrence of life. The cycle cycle, the universe may arise and destroy, not a burden of any definiteness of life. Such is one of the points of view. She claims "Intermittentness of Genesis."

Another implies the evolution of the universe from the cycle to the cycle. Every time, J. Willer already mentioned by astronomer, at the time of compression there is a qualitative leap of the universe. And the subsequent development is made every time in different ways. It's like a "evolutionary" point of view.

Finally, the third point of view comes from the possibility that each cycle is the repetition of the previous and all that were before it.

Repetition of the preceding ...

At the time of "collapse of the Universe", "convergence" of it to the point of matter, as is known, does not disappear. "... it's logical to assume," V. I. Lenin wrote, - that all matter has a property that is substantially related to the sensation, the property of reflection ... "If the matter does not disappear, it means that the information that it reflects does not disappear, That is, carries in itself. This is information about galaxies, planets and creatures that lived on them. In the event of a new universe, it can perform the same role as the initial genetic information in the occurrence of the body. In other words - the role of the program.

The idea of \u200b\u200bthe eternal repetition, the eternal return of people, events and all of the things was present in the consciousness of a person almost always. We find it in the East, in Chinese texts related to the II century to the new era. Even earlier, in the IV century to the new era, the Greek philosopher Evden from Rhodes spoke to his students: "If you believe the Pythagoreans, then I will ever talk with you with the same wand in my hands, just like now, Sitting in front of me, and the rest will also happen ... "Another antique philosopher thought about the same:" In other Athens, the other Socrates will be born and married to another xantippe. " In this eternal repetition of everything that was no time, everything will again make their own circle, and "New Wars will begin again, and again the mighty Achill will go to three" (Vergilius).

Do you know the feeling when something happens is perceived as if all of this you have already seen, as if all this was already? Sometimes, when you come to someone else's city, some kind of area on which you have never had, it seems suddenly a familiar familiar. Feeling this, known to many, has even a term - "already seen". As special surveys were shown abroad, the feeling of "already seen" in one way or another was approximately 15 percent of people.

In the life of L. N. Tolstoy was such an episode. Somehow on the hunt of the young Tolstoy, shook behind the hare, fell, flew over his horse's head. When, staggering, he rose, it seemed to him that all this was already: once, "for a long time," he said, he was also riding, he chased behind the hare, fell ...

Traveling somehow from Strasbourg to the Friendship, Goethe for some moment felt in a certain somnambulial state - he suddenly seemed to see himself from the outside, but in another dress that had never worn before. In eight years, he leased this place again and found out with surprise that she was dressed exactly as it was harmful to him.

Certificates of this kind, and they would have to bring a lot, there is no more evidence of the repeatability of everything. And can they be such evidence? But the evidence of these at least a reason for reflections. In addition, docked with other facts and observations, they are built as it were in a common chain. How to line up in this common chain and the words of Christ, as if uttered by the on the eve of the crucifixion: "Nevertheless, this was" ("this was all").

What is stated on these pages, it has two plans of perception: logical-evident and intuitive. Logically-evidence is the concept of the "pulsating universe", a model of a closed time, existing in the universe, the time that moves in a circle. The intuitive plan of perception is the feeling of "already seen", sometimes - symbols and language of art. That's how I felt as I understood this poet. He spoke about the root of atoms, who were a certain concrete person:

Circled this swarm without
And will circle without end,
And were moments of the pier
The features of my face.
……………………
Unless atoms can again
Will be in such as you and me?
(I. Selvinsky)

Gorky said about this somehow block half a joke, half seriously:

- ... in a few million years, in the gloomy evening of the St. Petersburg spring, block and bitter will again talk about immortality, sitting on a bench in the summer garden.

Back in the 20s of our century, when scientific knowledge did only the first steps in cosmology, Albert Einstein stated: "Against the idea of \u200b\u200ban eternal return, science cannot bring absolutely reliable arguments."

If each universe reproduces, repeats the former to it, the matter occurs every time in space, forming the same clots - the same galaxies, stars, planets. Then everything that happened, what was happening and what should still happen - uncomfortable, non-coming and dwells forever. As immortal and stay forever all those living now and who lived once, because in the constant repetition of the cycles of the universe, they will again and again open the doors of life, inlet them into the world, as it was already the countless number of times.

* * *

But finite the days of all. Including those who once searched for immortality. And if someone ever reached it, in the end he would have to wonder: what will I do in an endless life, what will fill its infinite because? Probably, everyone would have found his answer to this in accordance with his inner tendency, as people found at all times. True, what about the inner tendency, do we always know about it? Even when we talk about such traditional, it would seem, things like the distribution of female and male roles.

The idea that a man should be courageous and brave, and a woman - tender and fragile, not so immutable. It can be reminded that in the past, women were inherent in much more "male" set of qualities - and courage, and physical courage, and even cruelty. The carriers of these qualities were, for example, Amazons - Women Women, who have survived a lot of historical evidence and legends. Acquaintance with them puts a lot of questions, to answer which it turns out very difficult.

But hope always lived with those who hoped, and faith - with those who believed. The next chapter in search of the promised country of immortality opened the Admiral of His Majesty Christopher Columbus, who found new, unknown land over the ocean. Following the conquistadors and merchants, adventurers of all the masters and peoples, west moved and hopes. We are interested in Pedro Martyr D Angleria (actually Pietro Martyr D Angrors; 1455-1526) - Italian historian; Settled, in Spain and in 1505 became the prior of the Granada Cathedral. It remains several works and letters in Latin, in which he reports a lot of interesting things about the then life of Spain. Pedro Martyr, who personally knew the great navigator, in the first book his seventh "decade" wrote Pape Lero X: "To the north of Espaniol, between the other islands, there is one island at a distance of three hundred twenty miles from her, as they say those who found it. On the island, the volume beats an inexhaustible key of flowing water of such a wonderful property that the old man who will drink it, observing the definite diet, after some time will turn into a young man. And refer to them, islands and residents, in one name: Yukayos. I beg your holiness, do not think that I spoke this from the frivolity or imaging; This hearing was indeed approved at the court as a certain truth, and not only a simple people, but many of those that stand above the crowds in their mind or wealth also believe him. "

Among those who believe in the existence of a life source were also representatives of the nobility, and commoner. Castilian Hudalgo Juan Pons de Leon was one of them. He was already aged when, from those who lived on Puerto Rico, the Indians learned about some kind of island located in the north, where there is a source returning youth and giving immortality. Many years ago, many Indians from Cuba's Island swam on his search. None of them returned, therefore, they managed to find this island.

Others argued on this issue: what to go so far, if there are Bimini Island among the Bahamas, where is the exact source of eternal life beats?
Pons de Leon was not the only of the Spaniards interested in these legends. He decided on his own fear and risk to organize a special expedition and go to search for this island. When the rumors referred to gold, and the means, and ships, and the participants would not make themselves waiting. But there was little wishes for chimera. After all, it was only about immortality. But Ponn de Leon was already at the age when people begin to understand the relative value of gold and absolute - youth and longevity.
All his funds Ponns de Leon invests in the purchase of ships, recruits the crew and on March 3, 1512 goes to unknown. Under the roar of Cannonade flotilla, created for the search for immortality, goes into the sea.

The ships were safely reached the green islands of the Bahamas archipelago. The Bahamas archipelago consists of 700 islands and almost 2500 small islands, located 259 thousand km2 of the ocean. Day after day, a month after a month, the ships managed the islands, but all the searches and all the questions remained unsuccessful. The captain himself went ashore, not trusting anyone, and drank from all sources, which he just came across. He tried water from rotten swamps and muddy streams. But alas! - Youth did not return to him. Juan Popce De Leon sailed through the archipelago in search of the mythical fountain of youth. Instead, he entered the rapid flow of Golf Stream, which took him to Florida, and he opened North America.
A new unknown land first accepted for the island. Florida called her Ponst de Leon in honor of the day when she was open ("Sand Florida" - Palm Sunday). The captain immediately sent all his people in search of deep into the unknown country. But the sent came from anything. Soon there were grounds for concern. On the sailors began to attack the Indians. Pons de Leon himself was also injured. It was decided to go back the way.

Fighting hostile inhabitants, storms and trade winds, immortality seekers returned to Puerto Rico. Only two vessels returned to the port. The third, headed by Ponn de Leon, continued searches. Finally, persistence was rewarded. The legendary Island of Bimini was found. Covered with beautiful forests and wavy meadows in the frame of clean and transparent sources island fascinated and admired. But, alas, there was no magical fountain among them. Pons de Leon, I find out youth,

Every day, more became more and more, and crippled sickly, flutter finally sailed into the country -
In that country; in the limit sad, b shadow of glory cypresses,
Where the river is noisy, whose waves "
So wonderful, so healing.
That river is called the summer. I drink, friend, rude moisture - and forget all the mute, everything that has drawn, forget.
The key is forgetful, the edge of the fence!
Who entered there - will not come out
For the country and there is
Real bimini.
(Heinrich Heine. Bimini)
But here is the paradox: the inhabitants of Puerto Rico, from where Pons de Leon went to search for eternal life, were confident that the Spaniards conquered these lands is immortal! The Indians demolished all the oppression and that arbitrariness that the conquistadors were cleaned. The uprising against the immortal in their presentation was originally doomed to failure.

However, any discovery begins with doubt. There were brave, who expressed some uncertainty that terrible white gods do not know death. To verify the validity of such an assumption, it was decided to spend a rather bold experiment. Having learned that one noble Spaniard was going to proceed through his possessions, the leader sent an honorary escort to him, explaining his people that they need to do. In accordance with these instructions, when crossing the River, the Indians dropped the stretcher into the water and kept the "immortal" in the water until he stopped breaking away. Having pulled him as shore, just in case, for a long time and Vitievato apologized to God for the fact that the Spaniard in the river was inappropriate. He, naturally, did not move and did not answer. To make sure that this is not a trick and not pretending, the Indians did not go away from him a few days, until they were convinced that this is not pretense. "Immortal", in fact, was dead. Realizing that their conquerors are as mortal as they themselves, the Indians raised the uprising around the island, destroying the Spaniards of all to one.

However, the delusion of the immortality of Vladyk was also inherent in other peoples. So, during the campaign of Alexander Macedonian the peoples of the Middle East, they believed that the king of the Greeks who captured them was immortal. During the reign of the emperor August, his subjects sincerely considered the immortal emperor.

Willingness to believe in the immortality of the ruler has always been so great that it was necessary quite a bit to turn her into confidence. It was obviously western Roman emperors Arkady and Horoni (395-408), in 404. I published a verdict about your divine origin. The main argument was the following: "Those who dare to deny the divine essence of our personalities will be deprived of positions, and their property will be confiscated."

To refer to the emperors from the moment of the announcement of the verdict was no longer "Your Majesty", but "Your Eternity." But we know the other dates of the death of both emperors, which means that the measure taken by them did not provide them eternal life.

Members of the French Academy of Sciences Here are the fifth century wearing the title of "immortal." This title did not more close them to immortality than members of the clubs, and now existing in Los Angeles, Chicago and Tokyo, whose charter proclaims the bodily immortality of all their members.

Caribbean / Juan Ponce de Leon and his search for the source of eternal youth.

Legends about the source of eternal youth appeared at different times from different nations. Two thousand and a half years ago, Herodot wrote about him, he was mentioned in the legend of the presbyter John, in the sixteenth century he was trying to find the famous conquistor Juan Ponce de Leon. Yes, what to hide, and now scientists are engaged in his search, in order to extend the life and youth of mankind. But despite the fact that the source was trying to find for many millennia, few people believed in him truly. But for Juan Ponce de Leon, the search for the source of eternal youth was the idea of \u200b\u200bFix, although there were positive moments in the passion for the conquistador, so trying to find a cherished source, he opened Florida.

As you know, Juan Ponce de Leon at the beginning of the sixteenth century successfully served the Spanish crown and helped to conquer Espanyol. For merit, he was even appointed by the governor of this island. In 1509th, the conquistador reached rumors that in the east there is a land rich in gold. De Leon immediately equipped an expedition, as a result of which Puerto Rico was opened. Soon the conquistador was appointed by his governor. But many of them caused such success to envy. A conspiracy was organized against Ponce de Leon, as a result of which he was removed from affairs. But by this time the tireless conquistador had a new goal - the search for the source of eternal youth.

(Ok. 1460-1521).

According to legend, Juan Ponce de Leon first heard the source from the mouth of his Indian maid. The story so inspired Konkistador that he began to ask the Aravakov who lived in Puerto Rico about him. As a result, it turned out that the source of eternal youth is located on the mysterious island of Bimini, which lies north of Espanyola. Aravaki from Cuba not only told Konkistadoras about the direction in which it is necessary to swim, but also said that one of their leaders lived on Bimini and drinks magic water, while remaining young and strong.

For their own funds Juan Ponce de Leon gathered a team and went to the expedition, during which he hoped to find a legendary source. The Spaniards threw anchor almost every of the island, to which they approached, but find any source, at least a vaguely reminding the stories of the Indians did not succeed. By the spring of 1513, the conquistadors were already completely desperate to get to the cherished goal. But in April, their ships approached the Earth and the more they approached the shore, the more confidence grew that they finally found bimini. In the air stood a thick, drinking aroma of tropical flowers, the birds sang their trills, and on white coastal shales gently splashed warm, the water seized by the sun. The Spaniards landed ashore during the Easter week, so the land was named Florida (Easter week in Spain is called "Pascua Florida").

But, despite the beauty of the lands discovered by him, Juan Ponce de Leon soon finally desperately find the source of eternal youth. The Spaniards drank from all the reservoirs found by them on the coast of Florida, but no one felt the tide of strength and youth. By the way, in the lifetime of the Great Conquastador, there were legends that he was still scared from the source and became immortal, he simply does not want anyone to discover the secret of his location. However, with the death of Juan Ponce de Leon, these myths quickly dissipated. In addition, the goodwill of Florida was intake, very soon the conquistadors face local tribes, which not only refused to show the source, but also began to drive out strangers from their territories.

Spaniards drank from all the reservoirs found by them on the coast of Florida,
but no one felt the tide of strength and youth.

After just a few weeks after the first landing, Juan Ponce de Leon was forced to go back to the south. Although the journey to Florida took not so much time, back the conquistadors got into the strongest storm, one of the ships even went to the bottom. The Spaniards returned to Puerto Rico on October 19, 1513. There, Juan Ponce de Leon was waiting for disappointing news - one of his most faithful assistants, the feeding Alonyos reported that Bimini Island was finally found, but there is no source on it. Juan Ponce de Leon decided that the cherished reservoir was hidden somewhere in the west of Florida, not far from the place where he turned back. But before recovering the source again, Konkistador had to return to Spain to personally provide the report to the king on the lands open to them. His homeland was very warmly accepted and even dedicated to the knights, but long, Juan Ponce de Leon there was no longer delayed - the monarch died soon, and Konkistador realized that he had lost a strong patron and now he couldn't go on the laurels for a long time Mastering new lands.

But the second journey to the shores of Florida took place only in the 1521th year. The Spaniards were well prepared for this expedition, their detachment consisted of their two hundred well-trained and armed soldiers. After landing on the ground, the conquistadors faced with the desperate resistance of the Indians. Some sources believe that the second expedition to Florida was organized only in order to master new lands and colonization, others think that Juan Ponce de Leon still suffered from an intrusive idea of \u200b\u200bfinding a source of spring youth. According to these two opinions, there are two versions speaking what happened next. One states that the Spaniards who collided with the aggression of the Indians were forced to declare war. Another says that initially the natives were quite peaceful, but the conquistadors captured them in captivity and applied torture, in the hope of finding the location of the source. Be that as it may, a real bloody slaughter unfolded between the Indians and the Spaniards. During her, Juan Ponce de Leon was wounded by a poisonous arrow and died in July 1521. On this searches of the source of eternal youth ended, the fate played with a brave conquestor, a keen joke - recovering for eternal life, he found death.

Today, in the place where Juan Ponce de Leon was for the first time landed in Florida, the National Archaeological Park was opened. And it is not surprising that his name is the "park of the source of eternal youth." In its territory, of course, there is a fountain from which drinking water flows, but this source does not have any magical power. But in the park there are numerous exhibits of the colonial heritage.

In fact, the conquistadors, without knowing it, found a cherished bimini. In the middle of the sixteenth century, this island, rejected by the Spaniards, who were looking for a source, began actively settled. Europeans came to him and brought the black slaves behind them. It was slaves that they found that in the northern part of the island there is fresh reservoir, into which from underground sources comes mineral water. The creek immediately received the name "Healing Grotto". It is believed that people who fastened in it feel cheerfulness and energy. Interestingly, scientists who studied the records of conquistadors found that the words of the Indians regarding the source were not entirely correctly interpreted. In the legend, told by the Spaniards, it was said that there was a magical reservoir from which the old man was made on the island of Bimini, who after that felt herself strong and healthy. He was even able to marry a young girl who gave him a lot of children. On the eternal life of speech and did not go. Thus, it can be said that the healing grotto is the source of the eternal youth of the Magic Island of Bimini. Just the Spaniards did not know what to look for.

Healing grotto.
In the Maritime Mangrove, which covers the four miles of Northern Bimini, is a healing grotto (English. The Healing Hole), a creek, located at the end of the fancy network of underground tunnels. During the ties on these channels, a cool fresh water enriched in the creek is enriched. Natural lithium and sulfur - here are two elements that, as claimed, is contained in this water, which seems to have medical propertiesAs people experience a sense of mental and physical rejuvenation after visiting the grotto.

Searches "Islands Eternal youth»And the discovery of Florida and Golfstrum.

In those times, when the Spaniards opened new main students and the sea, the reality seemed to be a dream; But any, the fantastic dream could turn into reality. A participant in the second navigation of Columbus Juan Ponce de Leon, rich on Espanyole, appointed by Governor Puerto Rico, in the middle of the summer 1506 landed on the island, founded there the first Spanish settlement (1508) and finished the conquest of the island, accompanied, as everywhere, mass Beating the Indians. On Puerto Rico, he heard the legend about about. Bimini, where the "source of eternal youth" beats. Ponce appealed to the king with a request to give him a patent for the search and colonization of Bimini and to possession of a wonderful source. Ferdinand Catholic fulfilled the request and said, hinting at Columbus: "One thing to give the authority, when there was no example of an example, so that someone occupied such a post, but since then I learned about something ..."

Ponce invited Senior Assistant Anton Allaminos, a member of the second navigation of Columbus. They started the equipment of three ships in Santo Domingo and to hiring sailors. According to the stories, Ponce took the service and old people, and embankled. Yes, and for what, in fact, you need youth and health to people who, after a relatively short maritime transition, can be coordinated and buried lost forces? Probably, the teams on the ships of this flotilla were the oldest of all, what a maritime story knows.

Juan Ponce de Leon.
(Ok. 1460-1521).

On March 3, 1513, Flotilla sailed from Puerto Rico in search of Bimini to North-West, to the Bahamas. On the southern group of these "islets" (in Spanish - Los Kaios), an open columbus, the Spaniards often made raids from the time the Ferdinand allowed the Indian into slavery. North Los Cayos Allaminos carefully led ships from the island to the island: so the islands of Kat and Eleuther were found. The Spaniards bathed in all the springs and lakes, but the wonderful source did not come across.

March 27, vessels passed by the Northern Group of Bahamas, seemingly about. Big Abaco, and on April 2, the sailors saw large land. Ponce dubbed her Florida ("blooming"), as she doubly deserved this name: the shores were dressed with magnificent subtropical vegetation and he opened it on the holiday "blooming" Easter. But on the map compiled by Aloshino, it was given both, the "pagan" name - bimini.

Allaminos believed that the expedition was located at 30 ° C. sh. According to the calculations of seafarers-historians of our time, Ponce has reached the coast at 29 ° C. sh. Ships went to a small bay near the current Dayton Beach. On April 3, the Spaniards went ashore, and Ponce with all the formalities joined the new "island", the first Spanish territory on the continent of North America. Of course, and here sailors "tested" all sources, but, alas ... Again the failure.

On April 8, Ponce tried to continue swimming towards the north along the eastern shore of Florida, but because of the oncoming cold flow, he soon turned to the south and got into a powerful stream of warm current, which was from the south to the open ocean between Florida and the Bahamian Islands. Slowly moved the Spaniards to the south along the lowland shore and with landings tried water of many rivers and lakes, in vain, looking for "sources of eternal youth." At the same time, they were at the same danger: on the newly open "island" of Ponce met warrant Indians - people "Reloble, strong, dressed in the animal skins, with huge bows, sharp arles and spears on the manner of swords" (B. Diaz).

One month needed flotilla to achieve the southern tip of Florida with passing wind. Ponce opened about 500 km of its east coast, including the sandy Cape Kennedy (Canaveral, who has known fame in our days: the launch of American spacecraft is launched). The Spaniards also discovered the chain of the coral islands of Florida-Ki, forming a barrier reef of about 200 km long. Here the oncoming course was so rapid that threw out anchor and took one ship into the ocean. The giant dark blue "sea river", sharply different from the greenish-blue ocean, flowed from the West and the tip of Florida turned cool to the north. Alosinos, the first studied her direction and later suggested using it when returning from Western India to Spain, correctly guess that it comes to the shores of Western Europe.

This "marine river" is now proven, carries 96 times more water than all the land of the earth, taken together. Later, when the entire coast of the Mexican Gulf was applied to the map, the Spaniards called it "the flow of the bay." In the Northern Europeans, it is known as Gulf Stream - the source of eternal youth for the climate of Europe.

After returning the fleoting ship's armature, the flotilla traced the entire chain of Florida Kis and began to repair vessels in the lagoon of one of the coral islands near its western tip. On June 3, Ponce went north to the Mexican Bay and soon discovered the bay in the West Bank of Florida (in 27 ° C. sh.). Relationships with the Indians were established first friendly, but on June 11, they tried to capture the Spanish ships and were repulsed. Ponce decided that on Florida there is no source of eternal youth, and on June 14, 1513 moved to the south. The Spaniards found a group of the tiny islands of Dry Tortugas, where for 10 days there were provisions - turtles, seals, pelicans and another game.

On June 24, Ponce lay on the south-western course, but why he did it, instead of using a golfustrim, you can only guess. After two days of swimming, he touched some land and his capture to the west of more than 200 km. According to Konkistador-historian A. N. Errera, "Most ... the sailors took her for Cuba," but S. Morison adheres to another opinion: "Obviously, it was something completely different - the section of the Yucatan Peninsula between Cascades Peninsula and the Modern Port of Progress ... ", i.e. Ponce discovered, however, the second time, almost all of the northern shore of Yucatana. He discovered the harbor and landed for the repair of sails. On the coast of the Open Island - so decided by the Spaniards, calling him Bimini, - Ponce stayed for more than a month and unsuccessfully sought the source of eternal youth. On August 6, he left Yucatan and through the Floridian strait, using Golf Stream, proceeded to about. Eleuthera (August 18). Hence, he ordered the Aloshino to "merchable" on one ship of Bahamas - the idea to find the source firmly in his head, and he returned to Puerto Rico on October 10.

In February 1514, Allaminos arrived with the news that he found another island with the name of Bimini. Attempting Ponce to win Florida in 1521 ended with the defeat of his squad, a heavy wound and death of him (July 1521).

Florida: fountain of youth, blood river. St.augustine.

Saint Oghastine (St. Augustine), Spanish name San Agustin, (San Agustín) - oldest city In the US, the first preserved settlement of Europeans in the territory of the modern United States is located in the northeastern part of Florida on the Rivers of Matansas and San Sebastian near the Atlantic Ocean. From Saint-Ogashen begins the "inter-natlantic waterway".

It is believed that the Spanish researcher and navigator Juan Ponce De Leun was the first European, whose leg stepped on the land of Florida. The first Spanish Conquistor Ponce de Leon (Columbus's colleague on his second journey, the former Governor Puerto Rico) stepped on this land in 1513. In March 1513, he collected an expedition to his own money and sailed from Puerto Rico to search for a miraculous source of eternal youth to the island of Bimini (the current Bogan Islands), which he learned from the Indians.

In 1521, Ponce de Leon on two ships went to the colonization of Florida. His detachment out of 200 people landed on the West Bank and entered into a fighter war with the Kalus tribe. Ponce de Leon was injured by a poisoned boom and died during the maritime transition to Cuba. Buried in San Juan. His name carries the third largest city of Puerto Rico - Ponce. The grandson of Ponce de Leon, Juan II, in 1579 temporarily managed Puerto Rico, and in 1581 compiled a written description of West Indies.

The picture of the artist Eduard Veith shows the scene at the Mystical Fountain Fountain of Youth.

The first well-known mention of the fountain of youth, whose water is allegedly gives a drinking eternal youth concerns the legend of the Prester John, the legendary Christian monarch, who, as believed, ruled the territory or in Asia or Africa in the 12th century or later.

Lisa Zwerling. The Fountain of Youth.

Italian Pedro Martyr, who personally knew Columbus, wrote: "To the north of Espanyola between other islands, there is one island at a distance of three hundred twenty miles from her. On the island beats an inexhaustible source of water of such a wonderful property that the old man who will drink it, observing this Diet, after a while turns into a young man. "

The Fountain of Youth by Lucas Cranach The Elder.

Ponce de Leon also heard from those who lived on Puerto Rico Starikov-Indian about the island of Bimini, located in the north, where there is a source gives eternal youth. They said that several years before that, many Indians from Cuba's island went on her searches and none of them returned.

So what did the water in St. Augustine so special when he found it? When Ponce went ashore, he noticed that local people lived for a very long time - until 70s. He could not believe it. Ponce and his friends were glad to live to the age of 35. These dark-skinned old people on the mainland were healthy, and by God, the cause of this was to be water, concluded Ponce. The researcher found the sacred key, drank from him, and said that it was the most sweet, the best water he ever drank. It must be magical. Ponce, accustomed to drinking sea water and rush water, saved on his ships, of course, the key water seemed to taste much better. He spilled her in the bottle, placed them on the ship and took it home back to Europe. He drank the gallons of the key water, bought in her, and swore, that he felt like a child. A little later, he was shot down arrow from Luka, and he died. Thus, we really do not know whether the water was really magical, but I really want to believe in it, right?

Mention of the fountain of youth in the movies:

In the film Darren Aronophist "Fountain" The storyline revolves around the fountain of the eternal youth, which was looking for Ponce de Leon.

In the final of the film "Pirates Caribbean: At the edge of the world, "Captain Barbossa tells the crew of the" Black Pearl "about their new goal - the fountain of the eternal youth Ponce de Leon.

In the fifth season of the series "Secret Materials", episode called "Training" Agents Scully and Mulder investigate the case of the disappearance of people in the forests of Florida, whose culprits are mysterious forest people, possibly have long been inhabited in the forest and once, on Mulder's assumption , Members of the Ponce de Leon expedition.

In the animation series "Spider-Man" (1967) in the episode "Fountain of Terror", Dr. Conner finds a "source of eternal youth", but the doctor discovers and sharpens Ponce de Leon.

In the 6th series of the 2nd season of the series "Stay alive," Sawyer appeals to the lost ane-Lucy: "Then tell me, Ponce de Leon, where do we go?"

In the film "Pirates of the Caribbean: on strange shores", the entire plot is based on the search for a "source of eternal youth", at the very beginning two fishermen find a man who claimed that he was on the ship Ponce de Leon. Also in one of the episodes of Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa will be on Ponce de Leon's ship.

It was during this expedition in April 1513. Ponce de Leon saw the land and landed on it. He took this land for the island and a tour of his Florida for a luxurious tropical flora, and due to the fact that the opening of the "blooming land" accounted for the Easter week (Pascua Florida) and declared her possession of the Spanish crown.

In the mornings from the ships, the boats went down and headed to the shore, and at night, Captain Ponce de Leon checked the contents of each flask filled with water from all sources, which only managed to find on the island. They said that the entire pair of sips is enough that the transformation begins instantly.

But it was quite dangerous to stop here in Florida, since the Spaniards met the militant Indian tribes there. Ponce de Leon returns to Spain.

If you have ever wondered where the fountain of youth is exactly located, then you are already at the goal. And the fact that he is in the oldest city of the country, only once again convinces this.

The road leading to the fountain.
There is definitely the impression of mysticism, which surrounds the young fountain in the National Archeological Park.

In 1901, one initiative woman bought real estate in St. Augustine and began to offer people water from the fountain located on the territory of its property.

She argued that it was exactly the fountain of his youth, which opened Ponce de Leon, and the intrigued audience immediately began to flow there. You believe or not in the legend, but it will not hurt to check it at all what happens if you eat a sip from this magic fountain!

In a certain sense, Spanish researchers were right, believing that the fountain of eternal youth was somewhere in the place that we currently call Florida. Under Earth Florida is the largest known system of sources in the world. The water of these keys enriched with minerals and, "which is as clean as everything that appears on this planet for the first time," provides the life of unique animals and rare forms of life.

Travel Ponce de Leon

Don Juan Ponce de Leon was the true son of his time. A representative of one of the most significant Castilian surnames, he distinguished itself in the countless wars of the Spaniards with the Moors.

Then, without thinking, he crossed the ocean and arrived in the "West India" (as the new lands called the travelers themselves) in November 1493, with the second expedition of Columbus, when the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, as well as the expedition secondary Visited Haiti Island (or as he was called - Espanyol).

Ponce de Leon hoped, like thousands of other conquistadors, for rapid enrichment. But if for most of them, Hope remained hope - at least at the first time, - Don Juan was lucky. In 1508, at the head of a small squad, he won the island, which natives called Boriken (later Puerto Rico). Recall that this island was opened by Columbus during his second travel for the ocean, and, who knows, maybe, it was then at Don Juan Ponce de Leon, a member of this swimming, first flashed the idea that the owner of Boriken, the blooming island with A fertile climate should be it. And he became him.

He having heard about the rich deposits of gold on the island of Boriken, de Leon captured the island, then founded the first Spanish settlement there. Settling on the northeast coast of Boriken, Don Juan laid in 1511 the city, who called San Juan-Bautista de Puerto Rico in honor of his Saint Huang-Bautista de Puerto Rico, where he later became the governor. In the future, the island began to be called Puerto Rico - a rich harbor.

In any case, such she became for Don Juan. Nicely robbing of local Indians, he collected an indispensable amount of gold. He was little embarrassed by the fact that the indigenous population of the island decreased with catastrophic speed. According to the testimony of the ancient Spanish chronicles, Boriken was the most populated from all islands. The Indians were engaged in hunting, agriculture, fisheries, kneeling tissue tissue and make clay dishes. One of the historians wrote: "Puerto Rico was a bustling paradise for the Indians who were withdrawn from his fertile land abundant yields; And when the Spaniards stumbled upon a blessing and happy Indian population, they decided that they also found themselves a paradise of earthly ... "Well, for the Spaniards is the island remained for the Spaniards, and for the Indians turned into a pitch hell.

And in the same 1511, Don Juan Ponce de Leon first heard the legend about the island of eternal youth - Bimini. At first he told him about the old Indiana Kachi, taken in his house serving. But was it possible to believe the old woman survivor? However, as it turned out, other Indians knew that somewhere to the north of Puerto Rico was the island, at which the source beats the source. Their stories were surprisingly coincided even in the smallest details, they all called the same number of days and nights that had to be held on the way to reach Bimini, they were equally described by the peak of the mountain, which was crowned with this happy island, and the trees wall closing his shores . They said that several years before that, many Indians from Cuba's island went on her searches and none of them returned. Is this not evidence that they managed to find a source of youth?

Italian Pedro Martyr, who personally knew Columbus, wrote in those years: "To the north of Espanyola between other islands there is one island at a distance of three hundred twenty miles from her. The first thing you see from a big water is the top of the mountain. The shore is closed with a solid wall of green trees, and therefore it seems that it is impossible to step on the shore. But if you find yourself angry, you will find a few invisible trail. Step on the island in a particular place and go to the foot of the mountain. On the island beats an inexhaustible key of the water of such a wonderful property that the old man who will drink it, observing more than a certain diet, after a while will turn into a young man. But do not forget during the way that it is impossible to turn around, otherwise the source will lose its wonderful power for you. The moment will come, and the forests proceed, and in front of you will open at a flat place. There and beats this source, giving eternal youth. The dried flower, moistened with its water, will again bloom and will remain so forever. Dead branch, lowered in his jet, immediately sees and give new sprouts. And you man, if you did not look around, go down to your knees and take only a few sips. And the return of youth will happen so unnoticed that in previous moments you will still be old and weak, and in the next instant you will become young and full ... "

And Don Juan, who has already been fifty years old, believed legend.

How did the legend originate on the island of Boriken? After all, it is most often the basis of any legend lie some real information, bizarrely intertwined for centuries with the fantastic convection. It may have repelled the memory of some real journeys of the indigenous islanders on other land of the Caribbean, even more fertile and blooming than Puerto Rico. Be that as it may, a person who conquered the island, firmly decided that he would be the first of the Europeans who had discovered a wonderful source on the island of Bimini, and began to prepare on the road.

However, before Ponce de Leon had to face some difficulties. He did not have official rights to "swimming for discoveries" - such rights gave only the Spanish king - and in addition he was accountable in his actions to the governor of a larger island, Espanyola, Diego Knee. At first, Don Juan had to reclaim the ocean again to ask for a patent - for his personal account - in search and colonization of the Island of Bimini and on the operation of a wonderful source and "island of eternal youth".

And, apparently, it was not possible to surprise a person in the incredible time, if the Spanish King Ferdinand Aragon, not expressing the shadow of amazement, provided Ponce de Leon all rights and on February 23, 1512 signed an official diploma in Burgos. While brewing this fantastic contract with my signature, the king even said at the same time, hinting for dazzling discoveries Columbus: "One thing to give authority, when there was no prior example, so that someone occupied such a post, but since then I learned something. You are when the beginning has already been done ... "

The main nuts on the expedition of De Leon invited Anton Allaminos, from the same Andalusian port town of Palo, who gave the world of several famous seafarers, satellites and rivals of Columbus. Allaminos himself earlier participated in the fourth expedition of Columbus.

The head of the expedition and its feed began to equipment of three ships and to hiring sailors. According to the stories, Ponce took the service and old people, and embankled, typing, probably the most intimid crew in the history of the sea fleet. Teams on the ships of this flotilla were the oldest of all, what a maritime story knows.

There was its own logic: what is the intelligibility, youth and health, if, after a relatively short maritime transition, his sailors can be rejected and return the lost forces in the wonderful source waters?

And at dawn on March 3, 1513, the flotilla sailed from the shores of Puerto Rico to the north-west, towards the Bahamas. Everyone could be exactly the one they were looking for. At the end of March, on the eve of Easter, they saw a big land - a wonderful blooming island, with whom no one visited by them was not compared.

But the purpose of the expedition is to find a source whose waters would have a power to return youth - it was not possible to achieve. Spaniards investigated everything east Coast Florida. From day to day, sailors went to search. Ships moved from the island to the island, and on each Spaniard "tested" all sources and lakes. In the mornings from the ships, the boats went down and headed to the shore, and at night, Captain Ponce de Leon checked the contents of each flask filled with water from all sources, which only managed to find on the island. They said that the entire pair of sips is enough, the transformation begins instantly.

And while the captain awaited the occasion of the evening, sailors, retell each other all that he had a chance to hear from those who went ashore. If there is a paradise on earth, then it should be here on these islands. The forests here are full of game, but a quiet river - fish, which can be caught by hand right at the shore. But most importantly, it was the earth - fertile, replete with fruits and, most amazing, actually draw.

But not the earthly paradise was looking for Ponce de Leon, and not even gold, because he was so rich enough. He dreamed only a wonderful source. Dragged in failure, he last landed on the shore and the name of the Castilian crown took over the new "island".

The land adopted by him for the island, Ponce de Leon called "Pascua de Florida" - blooming land. So in Spain was the holiday of blooming Easter. According to the legend, it is in this holiday, on April 2, 1513, the team for the first time went to the shore of Florida. Yes, and the name suggested by itself - all the coast was covered with magnificent subtropical vegetation.

It was the first Spanish possession on the continent of North America. But it was dangerous here, since the Spaniards saw on Florida, the militant Indian tribes - people "tall, strong, dressed in animal skins, with enormous loops, sharp arrows and spears on the manner of swords." So described the local residents of Bernal Diaz in 1517.

In 1521, Ponce de Leon again went to search for bimini. In addition, he had a patent for the colonization of Florida. In 1521, Ponce de Leon returned to his first landing - on the bay coast - already with two ships loaded by the colonists and things to settle in these places. His detachment of 200 people landed on the West Bank of Florida to conquer the island. However, the Spaniards met such fierce resistance from the local Indians, which were forced to rush to plunge on the ships and get out of the ravis.

Ponce de Leon, among many, was heavily wounded and died in Cuba in July 1521. He is buried on Puerto Rico, in San Juan. True, there is a legend that he survived and in subsequent years continued to study Florida, seeking to find a magical source of eternal youth. But historians are quite justified doubt about the reliability of this legend.

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The desire to live forever and not grow old mankind of the whole story of its existence

Probably not to find a person who at least once, and most often than once asked himself a question: why can't we live forever? Searches for the elixir of eternal youth, people were engaged in breast of ages. All Europe in the Middle Ages was looking for a philosopher's stone, which was capable of not only to turn the metals in gold, but also to prove life and return youth.

The most notable trace in search of the elixir of eternal youth left Juan Ponce de Leon, Spanish Conquistador and Governor of San Juan Island, who lived in the XV-XVI centuries. Then the elixir of youth seemed lively water, the tales of which can be found in the time of antiquity. It is enough to remember Herodotus, who wrote about the Ethiopes who lived in 120 years. When the Persian ambassadors were surprised by their longevity, they took Persians to a source with "live water", a constant bathing in which the life has extended.

Ponce de Leon was looking for eternal youth on the Bahamas. There, on the island of Bimini, according to Indian legends, there was a source of living water, the ablution in which the eternal youth was given.

Of course, living water, which he had to bring to the courtyard of the Spanish king Ferdinand, did not find Ponce de Leon. However, the expedition was not in vain - he opened Florida.

The history of the search for eternal youth on the bugs had a very recent continuation. A few years ago, the famous illusionist David Copperfield bought four island in the south of the Bahamas archipelago for $ 50 million, in the Ridge of Egzum. In which one of them, he found "living" water, which, according to him, in the literal sense of the word revitalizes the dried leaves and plants and almost dead insects, is not reported.

Copperfield invited scientists who had to figure out whether the wonderful effect of water also spreads to people. Obviously, the water was revived only dried leaves, because there were no messages about the construction of the resort for those who wish to rejuvenate.

Reproduction is more important

What prevents humanity to live forever? Many believe that the environment is preventing immortal to the environment. Others sin on food and water. In fact, the reason for ourselves. We do not allow us to live forever our own organism.

The life expectancy of any living organism is determined by the amount of energy allocated to two main processes: vital activity and reproduction (reproduction). If everything or most of her would have leaving their livelihoods, we would live much longer. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), We must grow and engage in the reproduction of offspring.

In any case, we live much longer than our ancestors. Among the cave residents, 30-year-olds were considered long-livers. The average life expectancy in the USA was only 53 years ago. Every fourth child did not live to the fifth birthday, tens of thousands of women died due to complications during childbirth.

Today, life expectancy due to health has increased to 78.1 years. In Japan, the average life expectancy of women is 85.6 years, and in some African countries, where AIDS is rampant, is not higher than 30.

Functional machine

Frenchwoman named Jeanne Kalman is considered the oldest resident of the land among those whose birthdays are definitely known. She lived 122 years and 164 days. Scientists believe that this is the limit for a person.

Why do we all can't live for so long? Here, too, everything is extremely simple. In general, all organisms consist of two types of cells: non-producing and producing. Unproving cells are cells of eyes, skin, muscles, bones, etc. Reproducing cells - cells of sperm and egg cells. Before any living organism is a permanent task - to survive. Radioactivity, chemicals, free radicals, harmful bacteria and viruses 24 hours a day attack our cells. During the day, thousands of cells do not withstand such a lifetime. Such an "environment" adversely affects DNA, which change or mutate. Our body gradually replaces damaged cells with continuous reproduction. This process requires high energy costs. However, the amount of energy is limited, it must be divided between life and reproduction.

In the process of evolution, all living organisms on our planet began to spend most of the energy to support reproducing cells.

The aging occurs because our body must keep the balance between the reproduction and maintenance of the body in the normal state. There are not enough energy to be lacking on both. Most of it goes to reproduction and protection of reproducing cells, and the residue is sent to the support of the irrepeble cells. As a result, the cells accumulate in the cells, which cause organs of organs.

"The body of a person represents a car that performs a number of functions," says OBRI de Gray, one of the authoritative specialists in the field of life extension, and, as any normal functioning mechanism, accumulates various damage. Consequently, in principle, damage should be removed periodically. "

In addition to this, strongly damaged cells or those cells that can no longer share suicide (apoptosis).

The body argues something like this: why spend precious energy to repair cells? Our body is a spent material that can be sacrificed. Genes from our reproducing cells will live in our offspring.

Multi-sharing hydra

The main factors affecting the lifespan are genetics and metabolism. The few fewers live up to 100 years and more thanks to special genes that control the aging process. Metabolism in mice is significantly higher than in the turtles. Therefore, the mice live only three years, and the turtles live to 150 years. Therefore, the mouse should begin to reproduce the offspring as early as possible, and the turtles go to this century.

The life expectancy of some organisms can be changed by changing the level of metabolism. Metabolism of mice slows down in a medium where few foods. If there are less people there are, it will very slightly slow down the metabolism and increase life expectancy, because our metabolism and so low. On the one hand, for significant changes, it is necessary to reduce energy consumption by 30-50%, on the other - a decrease in the amount of calories more than 50% will significantly reduce our lives.

There are rare living organisms that live forever. For example, the jellyfish and hydris reproducing cells are all over the body. All energy goes to support and repairing these cells. The hydra can be cut on a hundred pieces, and a new hydra will grow out of each.

Complex and subtle business

Aging is a process of accumulating damage to macromolecules, cells, tissues and organs. This process is very complex. All confused, even terminology, not to mention the processes themselves. For example, rejuvenation is not the same as an increase in life expectancy. The first one can be considered a twist of aging by 180 degrees. It consists in repairing damage caused by aging and replacement of damaged tissues. The second is engaged in the reasons that cause aging and fighting them. Rejuvenation can lead to an increase in life expectancy, but with increasing life expectancy, rejuvenation is rarely used.

Scientists have now revealed at least eight important hormones that slow down aging. These are human growth hormones (HGH), sex hormones: testosterone and estrogen, erythropoietin, insulin, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), melatonin, thyroid and pregenenolone. Theoretically, if you replace at least part of these hormones, you can achieve the effect of rejuvenation.

Most of the attempts of genetic repairs traditionally lies in the use of retroviruses, with which the new gene is placed in any place in the chromosome.

Old age is the same disease as all other diseases. And diseases are treated.

Distant future

Speaking about the search for the Elixir of Eternal Youth and Immortality Nowadays, it should be remembered that, despite the conversations about numerous high-profile discoveries and breakthroughs (according to the scientists who committed them and journalists), work is at the earliest stage, in its infancy, and that the first Medicines capable of extending the life of a person or purposefully fight old age, hardly appear in this, and even the next decade.

For example, the lady Linda Patridge, who heads researchers from London College and the Institute of Biological Aging in Cologne, one of the most authoritative specialists in the field of gerontology, believes that the first medicines will appear not earlier than 2020. Moreover, they will not be elixir for eternal youth or immortality. They will treat and prevent diseases associated with older age, and thus extend life. It is not about immortality, but about increasing the life expectancy and expanding active age to very deep seen.

Mice with telomerase

Despite the fact that waiting for the appearance of drugs from old age for a long time, there are some successes now.

One of the reasons for physical degeneration associated with aging is telomeres, DNA pieces at the ends of chromosomes. With each division of the cell, they are shortened. After the telomeres disappear, the cell stops sharing and dies.

The telomerase enzyme draws this process to reverse. In November 2010, Nature magazine reported that scientists of Harvard Medical School introduced a teleomerase group of mice suffering from elder degeneration. Damage disappeared. Mice not only began to feel better, but also grilled.

To Telomerase, scientists are applied not the first time, but earlier all the experiments were held on the simplest organisms. The merit of Professor Ronald Depino is that he first showed her opportunities to improve life expectancy for complex mammals.

Two months after entering telomerase, the volume of the brain at experimental elderly mice, the internal organs of which, in terms of our language, corresponded to the 80 years, returned to normal. It was even more surprising to return the almost completely lost reproductive ability of rodents who began to give large areas. And this is not to mention the fact that the mouse telomerase lived longer by the relatives, this enzyme did not receive.

Casual discovery

Most of the drugs having at least some attitude towards the problem of extending life were initially intended for other purposes. For examples, you do not need to go far. Three months ago, it was announced a random opening of the Elixira of Youth by NASA scientists.

We are talking about a drink for astronauts - AS10, which, in addition to protection against radiation, is able to deal with some signs of aging.

At the beginning of the experiment on people at the University of Utah, the skin pictures of 180 volunteers were made using the Visia apparatus, allowing to "look" under the skin of a person. Then they took AS10 twice a day for four months. At the end of the experiment it turned out that ultraviolet stains decreased by 30%, and wrinkles - by 17%.

AS10 - dietary supplement based on a mixture of Kupukuka juice, asai, cherries of Azerol, SPOVATION and YUBERRI berries. In addition to them, the drug includes grapes, green tea, grenades and vegetables.

They argue that they have found a way to slow down the aging of individual cells, and scientists of the University of Durham led by Chris Hutchinson. The professor developed a medicine that slowed the aging of cells taken in children, sick sick. This is a rare genetic disease at which cells are aging at eight or ten times faster. As a result, patients quickly turn into old people and die between eight and 21 years.

By the way, it is believed that at the heart of the Succotta Fitzgerald, the "Mysterious History of Benjamena Batton" is considered to be a successfully ficked story of the American writer.

At the heart of the opening of British scientists, the medicine used to treat non-senile, and infectious diseases accompanied by an increased viscosity of sputum, as well as otites, rhinitis and sinusitis. Professor Hutchinson found out that Acetylcistein (ACC) was also able to slow down the process of cell aging. He believes that in the future, the medicine on the basis of the ACC will greatly facilitate the suffering of sick prier and, it is possible, will help them live longer.

Exactly a year ago, scientists from Harvard Medical School found an elixir of youth on Easter Island. It is based on the bacteria of Streptomyces Hygroscopicus from the streptomycete family, found on this Chilean island, make rapamycin, effective medicine against a wheelchair.

As usual, rapamycin anti-cultivities found randomly. It turned out that rapamycin not only weakens the rejection of foreign organs by the body during transplantation, but also suppresses the activities of damaged proteins that lead to aging. All cells that have received rapamycin have increased life expectancy.

Rapamycin successfully struggles with one important aging factor - the ability of cells to derive waste, which weakens with time. After processing with this medicine, the cells are much more energetically get rid of life waste.

A growth hormone

Many gerontology specialists consider human growth hormone in the elixir (HGH). He became the last fashion in Hollywood, where the biggest percentage of people dreaming of eternal youth. People who are familiar with the "Dream factory" claim that any actor, producer, operator, etc., which for 50 and which has a highly developed muscles, accepts HGH. Injections of this hormone do not hide the Sylvester Stallone, Nick Nolte and Oliver Stone.

Doctors consider HGH, which produces the pituitary gland, one of the most important hormones in the human body. Blood spreads it in almost all organs. It is responsible for the processes associated with the force and growth, the formation of proteins and the repair of damaged tissues.

With age, the pituitary glands produces less than HGH. It is believed that between 40 and 60, its volume decreases by a quarter. Scientists believe that the decrease in HGH is one of the reasons for the aging of the body.

In the first half of the last century, scientists used RBGH, hormone growth of cows, which was purified and was given to the patients with the first type of diabetes and children with growth hormone deficits.

Medics from the University of Tafts began to extract HGH in 1958 from the corpses. Every year the number of patients he helped, grew.

In 1981, the American pharmaceutical company Gerenentech released the first synthetic version of human growth hormone. The medicine is sold only by recipes and is written out by patients with a shortage of growth hormone, but not associated with older age, but by other reasons. In adults, by the way, in contrast to children, the deficit of this hormone, which is most often with the adenoma pituitary, is extremely rare.

Elixir youth from Belarus

Scientists from Belarus, who worked with American colleagues, also argue that they found the elixir of youth. They drew attention to the fact that polyunsaturated fatty acids transfer free radicals that destroy DNA and causing aging and replaced hydrogen atoms with harmless isotope of deuterium. Experiments on bacteria have passed successfully. Now the experiments on long-suffering mice are in full swing. If they give a positive result, then in 10 years it will be possible to wait for the appearance in the stores of the Belarusian elixir youth.

Raphael de Cabo from the National Institute of Aging believes that the life of full mice can be extended with the help of the SRT-1720 medication, which reduces the amount of fat in the liver and increases the sensitivity to insulin. These and other advantages allowed experimental mice to live on average by 44% longer than complete rodents not received by the drug. An even more promising, according to Cabo, is SRT-2104.