a comedy play (1610) by Ben Jonson about a man who pretends to be an alchemist (= a person who was thought to be able to turn ordinary metal into gold) in order to cheat people out of their money. Many people consider it to be Jonson’s greatest play.
ALCHEMIST
Meaning of ALCHEMIST in English
Oxford guide to British and American culture English vocabulary. Руководство по британской и американской культуре, Оксфордский английский словарь. 2005