Miscellanea Alchemica XXV

Collection of short alchemical works, extracts, receipts and notes: in Latin and Italian by various 16th century hands. There are small pen-drawings of alchemical apparatus etc. on fol. 31v, 47, 99v, 100, 100v: on fol. 144v is a water-colour drawing of the plant 'Marthegon' [Martagon].

c.1525-c.1600

1 volume 194 ll. 4to. 22 x 16 cm. Modern vellum binding. Some leaves wanting at the end: the last leaf consists of two fragments only, mounted. The last leaf but one is damaged, some margins at the beginning and end are frayed, slight damp stains, margins cropped in binding.

Purchased at Sotheby's (Hauser Sale), 18/4/1934, Lot 414.

No 10 is perhaps entered in Mrs. Singer's Catalogue of Alchemical MSS. as No. 610; No. 18 as No. 193 vii (Cf. also Thorndike History of Magic and Experimental Science, Vol. IV, pp. 15-17); and No. 23 as No. 112 under 'Haly Philosophus Filius Salith Filius Incauso'. The last item is incorrectly titled in the MS. as 'De secretis secretorum' though such a work was written by Khalid, and is entered in Mrs. Singer's Catalogue No. 111 as 'Liber secretorum alkymye'. This MS. appears to be a compilation of various alchemical writings by a number of contributors, ranging mainly from the first quarter of the 16th century to about 1590, as shown by the dated entry (No. 9) where the name has been given the doubtful reading as 'Cevidosso'. Some of the paper has the cross-bow watermark, entered in Briquet's List No. 748 as Rome 1505. A late 19th century owner has written on the first fly-leaf 'Contrary to my directions, a barbarous binder gilded the upper edges of this MS., spoiling with his ruthless hand, in a moment, that which centuries in their slow march had respected and rendered honourable'.

From the Library of Lionel Hauser of Paris, with his press-mark label 'L.H.59' against which he has written in pencil 'Numéro à changer'.

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).