Miscellanea Alchemica XXI

Collection of short alchemical works, extracts, etc.: in Latin and German. Mostly written in shorthand. Illustrated by pen-drawn symbolical figures, and drawings of alchemical apparatus, etc.: also by numerous small engravings and woodcuts from 16th and 17th cent. printed books, pasted in. A number of these are from Ashmole's 'Theatrum chemicum Britannicum' 1652. Index in Latin and shorthand (31 pp.). (1) Hermes Trismegistus. Smaragdina Hermetis Tabula (1. a). (2) - De compositione (ll. b-d). (3) Senior. Tabula, etc. (ff. e-z). (4) Turba Philosophorum. In Turbam Sermo Anonymi (ll. s, t). (5) Albertus Magnus, St. Compositum de compositis (ll. v-aa). (6) Alphidius. De origine metallorum (ll. bb-kk). (7) Avicenna. Epistola filio suo (ll. ll-nn). (8) Arnoldus de Villanova. Carmen (l. oo). (9) - Quaestiones essentiales (ll. pp-vv). (10) Avicenna. Arcanum (l. vv). (11) Arnoldus de Villanova. Semita semitae (ll. ww-yy). (12) Rosinus. Ad Saratantam episcopum [epistola] (ll. yy-fff). (13) Bernardus de Gordonio. De alchemia (ll. ggg-lll). (14) [Anon.] Analysis totius operis (ll. mmm-ttt). (15) Geber. Testamentum (pp. 21-27). (16) - Processus (pp. 28-36). (17) - Enarratio methodica trium medicinarum (pp. 37-67) (18) - Secretum. In German and shorthand (pp. 69-74). (19) Lullius (R.) Experimenta (pp. 75-90). (20) - Ex Testamento novissimo (pp. 90-95). (21) - Practica brevis (pp. 95-98). (22) - Accurtatio (pp. 99-104). (23) - Clavicula (pp. 105-110). (24) - Ex Testamento novissimo (pp. 111, 112). (25) - Testamentum: theorica [Extract] (pp. a-gg). (26) - Testamentum: practica [Extract] (pp. hh-3). (27) - Codicillum (pp. 4-16). (28) - Compendium animae transmutationis (pp. 17-25). (29) - Ex Testamento novissimo (pp. 26-31). (30) - Cantilena (pp. 31, 32). (31) - Elucidatio Testamenti (pp. 33, 34). (32) - Magia naturalis (pp. 35-39). (33) - Diffinitiones (pp. 40-46). (34) - Liber lucis [i.e. Lux Mercuriorum] (pp. 113-161). This is paginated mostly by double-column. (35) Aegidius de Vadis. Dialogus inter naturam et Filium Artis [Philosophiae] de Lapide (pp. 162-164). (36) Dombelay (John). Stella complexionis (pp. 165-172). (37) Dastin (John). Donum Dei (pp. 173-180). (38) - Speculum Phiiosophiae (pp. 180-190). (39) Lullius (R.) Medulla Philosophiae (pp. 191-195). (40) [Dastin (J.)] Verbum abbreviatum [Extract] (pp. 196-200). (41) - Donum patris ad filium (pp. 201-204). (42) [Anon.] Opus praestantissimum (pp. 205-209). (43) Pseudo-Dunstan. St. Abbreviatio (pp. 210-212). (44) Ripley (George). De lapidibus nostris (pp. 213-221). (45) - Visio (p. 222). (46) - Medulla Alchimiae [Extracts] (pp. 223-236). (47) - Pupilla Alchimiae (pp. 236-238). (48) - Aenigma (pp. 238, 239). (49) - Opus basilisci (pp. 239, 240). (50) - Liber pectoris [Bosom book] [Extracts] (pp. 242-244). (51) - Liber accurtationis, etc. [Extracts] (pp. 245-251). (52) - Philortium [Extracts] (pp. 252, 253). (53) Norton (Thomas). De alchimia [Ordinall] [Extracts] (pp. 253-264). (54) Rosarium Philosophorum (pp. 265-291). (55) [Anon.] Verses on Alchemy in shorthand (pp. 292-299). From Ashmole's 'Theatrum'. (56) Bloomfield (William). Practica (pp. 300-302). (57) Charnock (Thomas). Breviarium (pp. 302, 303). (58) Holcot (Thomas). Breviloquium (pp. 304-309). (59) Mawbray ( ). Gemma salutaris (pp. 309-313). (60) Kitchin ( ). Ex Kitchin MSS. (pp. 314-321). (61) Edwardus Generosus [i.e. Dyer (Sir Edward)]. Epistola (pp. 322-331). (62) Ripley (G.) Ex Theoria Rosarii (pp. 322-343). (63) - Visio. Expositio Visionis (pp. 345-349). (64) Norton (Samuel). Opus alchimicum (pp. 349bis-359). (65) [Anon.] Practica ex Tadicina [?] (pp. 360-362). (66) Pseudo-Plinius. Secretum secretorum (pp. 362, 363). (67) Artephius. Liber secretus (pp. 364-370). (68) Flamel (N.) Hieroglifica (pp. 371-374). (69) Pseudo-Haimo. De quatuor lapidibus (pp. 375, 376). (70) Montanor (Guido de). Gloria mundi (pp. 377-392). (71) [Anon.] Unidentified extracts (pp. 393-396). (72) - Unum [?] nobile de Leone viridi, etc. (pp. 397-410). (73) - Practica de Leone viridi (pp. 411-415). (74) Andreae (Johann Valentin). Chymische Hochzeit: extract (pp. 416, 417). (75) [Anon.] Verses in Latin and German (pp. 418, 418bis). (76) Meung (Jean de). Demonstratio Naturae (pp. 419-426). (77) Flamel (N.) Summarium philosophicum (pp. 427-429). (78) [Anon.] Via Veritatis (pp. 430-435). (79) - Liber Alzae (pp. 436-439). (80) Montanor (G. de). Fragmenta, etc. (pp. 440-447). (81) [Anon.] Visio chymico-cabalistica (pp. 448-459). (82) Orthelius. Elucidatio in Novum lumen chymicum Sendivogii (pp. 460-489). Partly in German. (83) Hollandus (Johann Isaac). Axiomata, etc. (pp. 491-501). (84) - Opus in labore 12 mensium (pp. 502-509). (85) Paracelsus (A. P. T.) Paramirum: extracts (pp. 510, 511). (86) - De rerum natura: extracts (pp. 512-518). (87) - Ex Archidoxis (pp. 518-529). (88) - Clavis, oder das zehende Buch der Archidoxen: in German (pp. 530-538). (89) [Anon.] Schatzkammer der Natur, etc. (pp. 539-544). (90) - Lapis animalis: in German. Das wahre einige Universal (pp. 545-547). (91) Suchten (Alexander von). Explicatio Tincturae Physicae Theophrasti Paracelsi (pp. 548-556). (92) Poyssel (Conrad). Notabilia Paracelsica: in German (pp. 557-560). (93) Penotus (Bernardus Georgius). Regulae seu Canones, etc. (pp. 561-571). In Latin and German. (94) Christophorus Parisiensis. Elucidarium, etc. (pp. 571-574). (95) [Anon.] Animadversiones, etc. (pp. 575-587). (96) Tancke (Joachim). Ex Promptuario Alchymiae (pp. 588-591). Index Rerum et Verborum (pp. 594-649). The numerous items in the above list are mostly in the forms of abbreviations or extracts. Many are from Ashmole's 'Theatrum chemicum Britannicum' 1642, and from Zetzner's 'Theatrum Chemicum' 1659-1661. The group of English alchemists, Nos. 36-64 is noteworthy: no other particulars have been found concerning 'Mawbray' (No. 59) or the 'Kitchin MSS.' (No. 60) which appear to be connected. On the leaf paginated yyy is a date 'a° 1746 k', and the name Isaac Foxcroft is found on p. 101 and p. 150. It is possible that he may have been the writer of the MS., though more probably an owner. An E. Foxcroft was the translator of Johann Valentin Andreae's 'Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz', which appeared as 'The Hermetick Romance: Or the Chymical Wedding' and was published in London by A. Sowle in 1690: it is an extremely rare book. A slip pinned on to the first fly-leaf, written perhaps c. 1775, calls this MS. 'A Treatise of the Philosophers Stone very fairly written (but in an unknown language [sic]) ...'

1746

1 volume 1 l. + 31 pp. + 37 ll. (lettered a-222) + pp. 21-649 [651] + 5 ll. + 56 ll. 12mo. 15 1/2 × 8 cm. Original calf-gilt binding. The beginning of the first index-probably two leaves-is wanting. Some margins and corners damaged. Pp. 349, 418 are doubled. Text within red rules, headings in red. The 56 ll. entered above, are inserted between p. 112 and p. 113: these are separately numbered a-& &, 1-46. The pagination is irregular, 31 pp. and pp. 21-649, but is complete.

Purchased 1930.

There is another inscription on the second fly-leaf by a second owner, probably early 19th cent., who describes it as 'A most rare and curious alchymical manuscript describing the whole Process of Transmuting...' Engraved armorial book-plate of Edmund Strudwick by Batley of London [fl. c. 1770].

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.