Alchemy 17th cent.

Anonymous work containing 57 leaves of remarkable coloured pendrawings symbolizing the processes of making the Stone, and of alchemical apparatus, etc. Ff. 44-49 contain illustrations of apparatus, and fol. 60 two emblazoned coats of arms, of which the lower one may be that of Charles Bulteau [1627--1710], a French political writer and book-collector. On fol. 12 is a poem of 17 lines in Italian, beginning 'Ogn'un s'agiuti come puo e sa / attender la natura con due ali': and ending 'Salua le sponglie e nulla ne gettare / se liquor diuerso uuoi cauere'. The work begins 'Tesaurum mundi, hic est // Ecce surgens Philosophus germanieque doctrine filius ...': various passages in the text appear to be based on Arabic sources.

Middle 17th century

1 volume 60 ff. + 4 bl. ll. folio. 271/2 x 21 cm. Modern boards.

Purchased 1925.

A pencil entry on a fly-leaf is 'Sloare [? Sloane] Coll. 2056', but it is not the MS. under that number in Ayscough's Catalogue, p. 567.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).

This material has been digitised and can be freely accessed online through Wellcome Collection catalogue.