The James Catalogue of Western Manuscripts

Shelfmark O.7.35
Manuscript Title

Alchemical Texts

Alternative Title

Alchemica

James Number 1363
Century 15th
Physical Description

19 lines to a page. Well written.

Provenance

Part of the Gale collection, given to T.C.C. by Roger Gale in 1738. Marked D. 15. No. 232.

Belonged to Dr Dee. A table of contents in his hand precedes f.1.

Bachonis}
Morieni}
Jois Viennensis}
Alberti }Chymica quaedam.
Hermetis}
Rasis}
Hortolani}

This agrees exactly with No. 188 in the Catalouge of his MSS.

On the 3rd flyleaf is the name (xvi) W. harbartt.

Second Folio tamquam radices
Donor Gale, Roger (1672-1744), Antiquary
Size (cm) 14.5 x 12.2 (written space ca. 10 x 8)
Folio 224 + 28 ff. (James); ff. 3 + 14 + 246 + 1
Material Parchment
Language Latin
Collation

12 flyleaves. l8-288. 16 flyleaves. The old numbering of the leaves is very incorrect.

Notes

No f85, 148, 156-9 or 227.

Manuscript Summary A traditional collection of texts from the alchemical canon of the later Middle Ages, with some emphasis on texts attributed to Morien, Albertus Magnus, Avicenna and Rases.
IIIF Manifest URL https://mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/O.7.35/manifest.json
Online Since 30/06/2016

Contents

On the first leaves a tract has been begun and not finished.
The opening words are
Florentissime zelator sapiencie.
Two pages and a few lines are written.

1. f.1 Bacon, in epistola ad Clementem papam Cap. 1
Secundum quod sunt 4 or elementa sic sunt quatuor corpora quorum quodlibet componitur ex elementis sed ex uno per dominium.
Ends f.3b: Et quanto magis iste ordo iteretur tanto magis augmentatur sna claritas et uirtus.
Expl. tres medicine lapidis.

2. Receipt.
f.3b Recipe sulphur (vif) quantum uolueris

3. f.4 Morienus in ro(sario) libro 19
Verum cum secundum initium materie.
Further extracts from the Rosarium f.5b 9, 10b, 16 etc. continuing to f.33 where is a rubric.
Prima pars huius libri morieni in Ro. est in libro 19 in fine libri in hoc signo +.
f.33 Lines
Rerum iuncturam coitus notat et genituram etc.

4. f.33b Modus faciendi vermyon probatus
With diagram of furnace.

5. f.36 Ue opinionibus operantium lio primo
Ego B querens veritatem.

6. f.40 Inc. Receptum Johannis Vienensis
Recipe cuiuscunque uolueris corporis.

7. f.41b Receptum Rogeri bacon de lapide
Ignis et adok tibi sufficiunt.

8. f.42 Receptum cuiusdam fratris
Item accipe lapidem benedictum.

9. f.42b Other receipts 'cuiusdam subtilis philosophi'

10. f.45 Receipts from 'Bacon lio 2 o'

11. f.57 Inc. Semita recta Alkymie Alberti
Omnis sapiencia a deo est.

12. f.83 Receipts: head-line 'domylton libro 4 o'

13. f.86 Receipts: head-line Figer pandofali lio 6 o

14. f.92 Extract from Morienus in rosario
Other extracts from this occur throughout the remainder of the volume.

15. f.93 Johannes de mor' mortuo

16. f.93b Verses: Candida cum rubeo

17. f.95b Bacon de lapide
Reuolui lapidem.

18. f.100b Hermes libro 7 o
Legimus in hystoriis ueterum dierum.

19. f.118b Dancius philosophus

20. f.119 Flores Rasis libro 3 o

21. f.123b Interrogaciones Uthesie

22. f.131 Auicenna

23. f.137b Jeber libro 15 o

24. f.140b Johannes de erroribus

25. f.147 Hermes libro 17 o

26. f.167 Johannes Salerni
The first part of Morienus ends on f.185.

27. f.185 Auicenna libro 20 o

28. f.188 Practica Rasis

29. f.192b Receptum Alberti

30. f.197 Documenta Ortholani

31. f.204b Magnum opus hermetis libro 23 o

32. f.2l3 Miscellaneous receipts and extracts, several of which are signed 'bradschaw'

After f.228 are two blank leaves, on 231 sqq. is a table occupying 15 leaves, a good deal damaged by damp.

Bibliography

Roberts, J., and A. G. Watson, ed., John Dee's Library Catalogue (London, 1990) M188

Timmermann, A., 'Alchemy in Cambridge: An Annotated Catalogue of Alchemical Texts and Illustrations in Cambridge Repositories', Nuncius, 30 (2015), p. 407

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