The James Catalogue of Western Manuscripts

O.2.47

All Manuscripts Print this page
Shelfmark O.2.47
Manuscript Title

Arnold of Villanova, De secretis naturae; Hortulanus, Rosarium etc
Alternative Title

Alchemica
James Number 1151
Century 15th
Physical Description

31 lines to a page. Roughly written.
Provenance

Part of the Gale collection, given to T.C.C. by Roger Gale in 1738. B. 56. No. 122.

 

Belonged to Dr Dee. His name Jo. Dee is on f.1. It is no.79 in the Catalogue of his MSS. (Diary of Dr John Dee, ed. Halliwell, Camd. Soc. p.75): Arnaldi de Villa Noua liber de alchimia cuius initium est Scito fill quod in hoc libro una cum aliis eiusdem opusculis. Papyro 4to.
Donor Gale, Roger (1672-1744), Antiquary
Size (cm) 22 x 15.5 (written space approx 16.6 x 11 with variations)
Folio 51 ff. (James); ff. 3 + 51 + 1
Material Paper
Language LatinMiddle English
Manuscript Summary A collection of alchemical texts gathered by several fifteenth-century writes, including substantial works as well as a significant number of recipes.
IIIF Manifest URL https://mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/O.2.47/manifest.json
Online Since 18/12/2019

Contents

1. Arnaldus de Villa Noua.
f.1 Inc. tract. arnaldi de villa noua de perfeccione operis alkimie qui quidem vocatur thesaurus secretus operacionum naturalium
Scito fill quod in hoc libro.
Ends: dixi multiplicacionem lapidis etc. est finis, deo gracias.
Expl. thesaur. secretus operacionum Arn. de V. N.
A receipt follows.

2. f.6b Fragmentum egregium philosophicum
Item dicitur rene frigidum.

3. f.7b Aquae plurimae
Prima clauis est quod lapis.
f.8b Receipt

4. In dei nomine. Amen.
f.9 Iam restat dicere et declarare de quod multis diebus abscondebatur
-ignis communis et sicci. deo gracias.
f.10b Receipt in English
For to Gylde ferro.

5. f.11 Be it remembryd that alle bodyes as well perfite as imperfite be made fyrste of þe 4 elementis
Unfinished, ends:
is mercure decocte and made.
At bottom the name. isrell johan.

6. f.18b De rubeo
Hanc receptam probaui.
Other receipts follow.

7. f.20 Inc. Rosarius philosophie naturalis (per Ortoliinum).
Descendi in ortum meum.
Ends: digestum et tinctum.
Expl. rosarius deo laudes (ortolani philosophi),

8. f.31b Various alchemical receipts in Latin and English

9. f.36 Inc. prol. libri qui dicitur gloria mundi uel liber quinque clauium (Arnaldi de Villa Noua)
In nomine d. n. I. C. et per virtutem eius nominatur iste liber gloria mundi et lux solis et liber luminum et liber quinque clauium et virtutum etc.
Ends: et hec dicta sufficiant. d. g. Amen.
Completum et scriptum anno 1436 11 die aprilis alide ter etc.

10. f.45b Various receipts in Latin and English

Bibliography

Mooney, L. R., The Index of Middle English Prose Handlist 11: Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge [IMEP] (Cambridge, 1995), pp. 101-3

Roberts, J., and A. G. Watson, ed., John Dee's Library Catalogue (London, 1990) M79

Robinson, P., Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries, 2 vols. (Cambridge, 1988), no. 369, pl. 51 [ff.36-45 dated 1436, written in England]

Timmermann, A., 'Alchemy in Cambridge: An Annotated Catalogue of Alchemical Texts and Illustrations in Cambridge Repositories', Nuncius, 30 (2015), p. 395.

This work is copyright the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License