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Harley MS 3528

Record Id:

040-002049360

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

040-002049360

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000000807.0x000025

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Harley MS 3528

Title:

A miscellany of alchemical works

Scope & Content:

Contents:

ff. 1r-10v: An untitled collection of alchemical tracts in Latin, attributed by a later hand to Roger Bacon, Arnaldus de Villa Nova (Flos florum), Thomas Aquinas (‘lapis’), and Aristotle (Secretum secretorum); the text on f. 4r is partially in Middle English prose but has been crossed out.

ff. 10v-11v: An alchemical tract, entitled ‘bonus tractatus et brevis’, partially corresponds to the Rosarius Abbreviatus, beginning ‘Quia nimius sermo intellectum’.

ff, 11v-21v: John Dastin, Rosarius Philosophorum, here entitled ‘Compendium utile vel rosarius’, identified by a later hand as ‘Rosarius Toletani’, beginning: ‘Desiderabile desiderium’.

ff. 21v-22v: An alchemical tract, attributed to Jean de Roquetaillade (Rupescissa) by a later hand, beginning ‘Materia lapidis’.

f. 22v: Latin notes on alchemy referring to Bartholomeus Anglicus’ De proprietatibus rerum and 'Alkedes philosophus'.

ff. 23r-24r: An alchemical treatise entitled ‘bonus tractatus’, beginning 'Cum quaeratur quid sit spiritus occultatus'; also in Cambridge, Trinity College, MS 1380; signed ‘Egidius Duwes alias de Vadis’.

ff. 25r-31v: An alchemical tract entitled ‘Tractatus de serpente sub compendio breviloquio holcot’ [identified by a later hand as ‘Thomas Holcote [...] ye disciple of Gefferey [sic] Chaucer’]; beginning ‘Christi nomine invocato ad honorem proficientium in actibus natures’; other copies survives in Cambridge, University Library, Dd. IV. 45 and Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmolean 1450.

ff. 31v-38v: An alchemical work entitled ‘Expositiones status Joseph[i]’; beginning ‘Omnis sapiencia a domino deo data est’.

f. 38v: A Latin verse ‘Vinum lacte lana oleum liquore fabanum / Encaustum vino cetera mundat aqua’.

ff. 39v-40v: An alchemical work with the added title ‘Septem conditiones qua: requiruntur ad magisterium Philosophorum’, beginning ‘Hec est positio generalis’.

ff. 41r-42r: An anonymous alchemical work, with a reference to the Liber Radicum (attributed to ‘Theophilus’), entitled ‘optimus tractatus et notatu dignus’.

ff. 43r-55v: Pseudo-Geber, Summa Perfectionis (excerpt), here entitled ‘Liber Radicum Jeberi’; beginning ‘Totam nostram intencionem quam ex libris antiquorum abbreviavimus compilacione diversa in nostris voluminibus’; ending with a scribal colophon: ‘Per me egidium de vadis’.

ff. 56r-58r: The Emerald Table of Hermes, I and VI, here entitled ‘textus hermetis regis grecorum et pater philosophorum’; beginning ‘Quoniam opere in quo philosophorum doctissimi desudavere’.

ff. 59r-61r: John Dastin, Visio, here entitled ‘Visio per pulcra’, beginning ‘Cum omni in natura constancium creatus sit’.

ff. 61r-62v: An alchemical treatise attributed to Avicenna, beginning ‘Declaratio lapidis Philosophorum per Avicennam’.

ff. 63r-66r: A collection of short alchemical tracts, including Raymond of Marseille, Theorica Occultorum (Prologue); Responsio Inventoris Juvenilis ad Peregrinum; alchemical notes; lists of the elements and signs of the zodiac; a list of plant names (partially interlinear).

ff. 67r-68v Prologus super declaracio lapidis philosophorum, beginning ‘Est lapis in mundo qui non reperitur eundo’; also in Cambridge, Trinity College, O. 8. 5.

ff. 69r-75v: Roger Bacon, Speculum alchimiae super lapidem philosophorum, beginning ‘multipharie multisque modis loquebantur olim philosophi per sua scripta’.

ff. 76r-78v: Practica Rasis, beginning ‘In dei nomine [...] et cum eius adiutorio reducamus’; also in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 99.

ff. 78v-81v: Opus Trinitatis, beginning ‘In nomine beatissime et individue Trinitatis Patris et filii et spiritus sancti Amen’; also in Cambridge, Trinity College, MS 1380.

ff. 81v-82v: Roger Bacon, Epistola de Secretis Operibus Artis et Naturae et de Nullitate Magiae, beginning ‘Rogerus Bacon Johanni parisiensi Salutem’.

ff. 83v-84r: An untitled alchemical poem, 'Est fons in limis / cuius anguis ymis'.

ff. 85r-87v: Roger Bacon, Epistola de Secretis Operibus Artis et Naturae et de Nullitate Magiae (continued).

ff. 87v-89v: Roger Bacon, Speculum alchimiae super lapidem philosophorum (continued).

ff. 90r-92v: Visio Edwardi, beginning ‘Ego Edwardus fessus studendo et practizando in secretis philosophie maioris’; also in Cambridge, Trinity College, MS 1380.

ff. 93v-98r: Arnold of Villanova, De lapide philosophorum, here entitled 'Dialogus inter magistrum et discipulum', beginning ‘In hoc libro loquar de secretis naturae’.

f. 99r: An untitled alchemical poem, beginning ‘Est firma tinctura latens in igne permansura'; signed ‘E. de Vades’.

ff. 99v-100v: Metaphora Belini de Sole, here entitled 'Visio extracta ex turba', beginning 'Dicta beleni per figuram'; also in Cambridge, Tinity College O. 8. 5.

ff. 101v-102r: An untitled alchemical treatise attributed to 'Ortolanus' [Hortolanus], beginning 'Omnia corpora que et summo optifice'; featuring a rectangular diagram.

ff. 103r-104r: An alchemical tract on types of fire, beginning ‘Dispensatio fiat in lento igne per fixacionem’.

ff. 104r-107r: Roger Bacon, Epistola de Secretis Operibus Artis et Naturae et de Nullitate Magiae (continued).

ff. 107v-119v: Johannis de Porta Claudorum [Cripplegate], De lapide Aquilae liber, ‘Lapis aquile cum natura preciosissimus’; also in Cambridge, Trinity College MS. O.8.5; and Cambridge, University Library, Dd. IV. 45.

ff. 119v-121v: An untitled alchemical treatise attributed to Roger Bacon; but including an excerpt from Martinus Hortulanus, De magni lapidis compositione; and a tract on making Aqua vitae, beginning ‘Si vis facere aquam vitem ad vitam hominis conservandam’.

ff. 121v-123v: Tractatus hermetis de lapide philosophico, beginning '[D]ixit hermes patri suo timeo ab inimico meo in mea mansione’; also in Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmolean 1467.

ff. 124r-125v: An alchemical poem entitled 'Ars complementum sub versibus hiis cape Centum', beginning 'Fili doctrinam certam tibi porrige pinam' (also in Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmolean 1415); signed ‘Per me egidium de vadis’.

ff. 126r-126v: An alchemical treatise introduced as 'excellens tractatus et notatu dignus', beginning 'Sciendum quod sensus est causa illustracionis vite'; also in Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmolean 1416.

ff. 128r-164r: Senior de chemia (Latin translation of Ibn Umayl, Al-Mā' al-Waraqī [Silvery Water]), beginning ‘Dixit Senior Caled filius Hamil’.

ff. 164r-165r: An alchemical treatise entitled ‘Novus tractatus’ [added title: ‘Lumen luminum Rasis], beginning 'Huius negocii due sunt species'; also in Cambridge, Trinity College, O. 2. 18.

f. 165r: An excerpt of the Prologue of Raymond of Marseille’s Theorica Occultorum, beginning ‘Proles succedit semper vinus sit quoque’.

ff. 166r-170r: Carmen per pulcrum totum opus enucleans, attributed to George Ripley by a later hand, beginning ‘En philosophantium hac in cantilena' (survives in various other manuscripts); features an alchemical drawing (a shield with stripes in white, red, green, and black); signed at the end ‘Egidius de Vades’.

ff. 171r-175r: Rosarius magistri Johannis Dastini, beginning ‘Sciendum itaque quod lapis philosophorum’

The manuscript contains a later addition:

f. 127v: Notes by Samuel Knott (b. 1661, d. 1668).

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Harley Collection

Hierarchy Tree:

[{ "id" : "040-002049360", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Harley MS 3528: A miscellany of alchemical works" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002045828
040-002049360

Is part of:

Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts

Harley MS 3528 : A miscellany of alchemical works

Hierarchy:

032-002045828[3530]/040-002049360

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: Harley MS 1-7661

Record Type (Level):

File

Extent:

1 volume

Digitised Content:

Languages:

English, Middle
Latin

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1400

End Date:

1524

Date Range:

15th century-1st quarter of the 16th century

Era:

Access:

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User Conditions:

Physical Characteristics:

Materials: Paper and parchment (ff. 127, 142).

Dimensions: 210 x 140 mm.

Foliation: ff. 175 (+ 3 unfoliated modern paper flyleaves at the beginning + at the end); 1 unfoliated paper leaf between f. 22 and f. 23; and f. 123 and f. 124; all quires have been mounted onto paper guards.

Script: Gothic cursive.

Binding: Post-1600. British Museum in-house.

Custodial History:

Origin: England.

Provenance:

Giles Duwes [Dewes] (d. 1525), musician and royal tutor at the Tudor court; the manuscript is partially written by him, as he identifies himself in scribal colophons as ‘Egidius Duwes’ and ‘Egidius de Vades’. The latter was the pseudonym under which he composed the popular alchemical treatise Dialogus inter naturam et filium philosphiae in 1521; Duwes, however, has previously not been associated with this manuscript. Duwes appears to have added his copies to a miscellany of 15th-century alchemical works.

Samuel Knott (b. 1661, d. 1668), rector of Combe Raleigh in Devon; antiquary and collector of manuscripts: his name on f. 127v (‘Sam. Kanutus Rectori’) his notes throughout the manuscript (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 211).

Robert Burscough (b. 1650/51, d. 1709), Prebendary of Exeter; Archdeacon of Barnstaple: owned since 1697; the manuscript is no. 7674 in the 1697 catalogue of his collection (see Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae in unum collecti, II (Oxford: Sheldonian Theatre, 1697), p. 324); Harley purchased the manuscript from him through his widow on 17 May 1715 (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 88).

The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, inscribed as usual by their librarian, Humfrey Wanley ’17 Maij 1715’.

Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta Cavendish, née Holles (b. 1694, d. 1755) during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (b. 1715, d. 1785), duchess of Portland; the manuscripts were sold by the Countess and the Duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library.

Publications:

Julia Boffey and A. S. G. Edwards, A New Index of Middle English Verse (London: The British Library, 2005), no. 2668/2.

Edward Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae in unum collecti, 2 vols (Oxford: Sheldonian Theatre, 1697), II, p. 324

A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 4 vols (London: Eyre and Strahan, 1808-12), III (1808), p. 38.

Cyril Ernest Wright, Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1972), p. 430.

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)