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June 2003

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Subject: ACADEMY : Research Library
From: José Rodríguez Guerrero
Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003

Dear colleagues and friends:

The e-journal "Azogue" (Journal for the Historical-Critical
Study of Alchemy) stimulate research, theory, methodology
and analytical strategies on history of alchemy. At the same
time it tries to approaches alchemy from a consistently
historical and comparative perspective, emphasizing the rich
diversity of the alchemical tradition.

We try to explore the history of specific alchemical ideas or
authors, to examine representative historical texts, figures
and topics, to research into the history of particular
movements and related currents (paracelsianism,
rosacrucianism, etc.), or to study comparatively the underlying
assumptions of different author and theorical perspectives.

Thinking about this objetives we prepared research tools
for historical studies. Today we complete a new "research
library". It is a list of primary sources and all titles of books
listed are available on Internet. The "research library" is
proposed for the direct access to a large library of electronic
documents. We included links giving you instant access
to all the items. Rigth now, we had collected 134 original
titles devoted to alchemy, "chemical philosophy" and
paracelsianism. Most of the works which had a relevant
impact on the development of alchemy are also listed.

Among them, there are a large number of alchemical
compendia (Quadriga aurifera; De Alchimia Opuscula
Complura Veterum Philosophorum; Alchemiae Gebri arabis
philosophi solertissimi libri; Alchemiae quam vocant artisque
metallicae; Alchemiae artisque metallicae citra aenigmata;
Libelli aliquot chemici; Musæum Hermeticum reformatum
et amplificatum; Bibliotheca chemica curiosa; etc.). All
the works could be downloaded page by page, as small
JPEG or PDF files.

URL Address:
http://idd00dnu.eresmas.net/biblio.htm#N_3_

The digitalization of all titles had been supported and hosted
by some institutions which have recently initiated various digital
edition programmes of its early printed books:

- "Gallica", a service of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (63 titles).
- "Biblioteca Digital Dioscórides", a project of the Universidad
Complutense de Madrid (67 titles).
- "Medic@", a project of the Bibliothèque interuniversitaire
de Médecine, Paris (4 titles).

"Azogue" is only an intermediary which prepared a synthesis
with links and descriptions of the achemical titles digitalizated
on these three different projects. So, the documents may be
copied, downloaded and printed for individual use. They may
not be used for commercial purposes. Authors wishing to use
small numbers of images from these works to illustrate scholarly
publications may do so providing they write: "Courtesy of... "Gallica"
or "Biblioteca Digital Dioscórides" or "Medic@"", and cite
the general URL of each project.

List of works:

- A. H. de M. L. Le chimiste ou conseruateur francois. 1612.
- Agrippa, Enrique Cornelio. Opera in duos tomos. 1600.
- Agrippa, Enrique Cornelio. De Incertitudine et vanitate scientiarum et artium. 1531.
- Artefio et al. Philosophie naturelle de trois anciens philosophes renommez Artephius, Flamel et Synesius. 1682.
- Aubert, Jacques. Jacobi Auberti de metallorum ortu et causis. 1575.
- Bacon, Roger. Opera quaedam hactenus inedita. 1859.
- [pseudo-]Bacon, Roger et al. Le Miroir d'alquimie de Rogier Bacon. 1557.
- Barnaud, Nicolás. De Occulta philosophia. 1601.
- Barnaud, Nicolas (ed.). Quadriga aurifera. 1599.
- Barnaud, Nicolas. Commentariolum in aenigmaticum quoddam opitaphium. 1597.
- Barnaud, Nicolas. Triga chemica : de lapide philosophico tractatus tres. 1599.
- Becher, Johann Joachim. Physica subterranea. 1733.
- Becher, Johann Joachim. Chymischer Glücks-Hafen. 1682.
- Beroalde de Verville, François. [Les ]Appréhensions spirituelles. 1584.
- Berthelot, Marcellin. Introduction à l'étude de la chimie des anciens. 1889.
- Berthelot, Marcellin. Les Origines de l'alchimie. 1938.
- Berthelot, Marcellin. Science et philosophie. 1886.
- Bono da Ferrara, Pietro. Praeciosa ac nobilissima artis chymiae collectanea. 1554.
- Bono da Ferrara, Pietro et al. Pretiosa margarita novella. 1557.
- Borel, Pierre. Trésor de recherches et antiquitez gauloises et françoises. 1655.
- Braccesco, Giovanni. De alchemia dialogi duo. 1548.
- [pseudo-]Carlos VI de Francia et al. [Oeuvre royalle de Charles VI, roy de France...]. 1629.
- Castaigne, Gabriel de (ed.). Le Trésor philosophique de la médecine métallique. 1661.
- Castaigne, Gabriel de. Le Paradis terrestre. 1615.
- Castaigne, Gabriel de. Le grand miracle de nature métallique. 1615.
- Celsi, Mino (ed.). Artis Chemicæ Principes, Avicenna atque Geber. 1572.
- ¿Coenders van Helpen, Barent?. Escalier des sages. 1686.
- Coçar, Llorenç. Dialogus veros Medicinae fontes indicans. 1589.
- Courtin, Germain. Adversus Paracelsi. 1579.
- Croll, Oswald. Basilica chymica. 1658.
- Cyriacus, Iacobus (ed.). De Alchimia Opuscula Complura Veterum Philosophorum [tomo I]. 1550.
- Cyriacus, Iacobus (ed.). De Alchimia Opuscula Complura Veterum Philosophorum [tomo II]. 1550.
- Dariot, Claude. Trois Discours de la préparation des médicamens. 1589.
- Dorn, Gérard. Dictionarium Theophrasti Paracelsi. 1584.
- Dorn, Gérard. Chymisticum artificium naturae. 1568.
- Dorn, Gérard. Artificii chymistici physici. 1569.
- Dorn, Gérard. Lapis metaphysicus aut philosophicus. 1570.
- Dorn, Gérard (ed.). Trevisanus de Chymico miraculo. 1583.
- Du Chesne Sieur de la Violette, Joseph. Opera medica. 1600.
- Duval, Robert. De veritate et antiquitate artis chemicae. 1593.
- Fabre, Pierre-Jean. Propuganculum Alchymiae. 1645.
- Ferguson, John. Bibliotheca chemica [tomo I]. 1906.
- Ferguson, John. Bibliotheca chemica [tomo II]. 1906.
- Figuier, Louis. L'alchimie et les alchimistes. 1860.
- Ferrara, Gabriele. Noua selua di cirugia. 1605.
- Ferrari de Gradi, Giovanni Matteo et al. Consilia. 1525.
- Filaleta, Ireneo. Introitus apertus ad occlusum regis palatium. 1667.
- Fioravanti, Leonardo. Del compendio dei secreti rationali. 1564.
- Fioravanti, Leonardo. [La ]Cirvrgia. 1582.
- Fioravanti, Leonardo. Capricci medicinali. 1564.
- Fioravanti, Leonardo. Cappricci medicinali. 1573.
- Frisch, Gebhard. Anatomia alchymiæ. 1695.
- [pseudo-]Geber et al. Geberi, philosophi ac alchimistae maximi, de alchimia libri tres. 1531.
- [pseudo-]Geber et al. Gebri Arabis De inuestigatioe perfectionis metallor[um]. 1531.
- [pseudo-]Geber et al. Alchemiae Gebri arabis philosophi solertissimi libri. 1544.
- [pseudo-]Geber et al. Geberis philosophi perspicassimi Summa perfectionis magisterii. 1542.
- Gesner, Conrad. Thesaurus Evonymi Philiatri de remediis secretis. 1557.
- Girolami, Flavio. Nuoua minera d'oro. 1590.
- Glauber, Johann Rudolph. Miraculum Mundi. 1658.
- Glauber, Johann Rudolph. Miraculi mundi continuatio. 1658.
- Glauber, Johann Rudolph. Annotationes in nuper editam Continuationem Miraculi mundi. 1659.
- Glauber, Johann Rudolph. Miraculi mundi pars altera. 1660.
- Gohory, Jacques (ed.). Songe du vergier. 1572.
- Gratarolo, Guglielmo (ed.). Alchemiae, quam vocant, artisque metallicae doctrina certusque. 1572.
- Gratarolo, Guglielmo. Gulielmi Grataroli Bergomatis Artium & medicine doctoris opuscula. 1558.
- Gratarolo, Guglielmo (ed.). Alchemiae artisque metallicae. 1561.
- Gratarolo, Guglielmo (ed.). De consideratione Quintae essentiae rerum omnium. 1597.
- Guggiari, Pedro Bruno. Bosquejo de la historia de la quimicia. 1920.
- Guillard, Guillaume (ed.). De la transformation metallique. 1561.
- Hoefer, Ferdinand. Histoire de la chimie [tomo I]. 1842.
- Hoefer, Ferdinand. Histoire de la chimie [tomo II]. 1843.
- Hoefer, Ferdinand. Histoire de la physique et de la chimie. 1872.
- Kestler, Johann Stephan. Physiologia kircheriana experimentalis. 1680.
- Kopp, Hermann. Die Alchemie bis zum letzten Viertel des 18. Jahrhunderts [tomo I]. 1886.
- Kopp, Hermann. Die Alchemie bis zum letzten Viertel des 18. Jahrhunderts [tomo II]. 1886.
- Kunckel von Lowenstern, Johann. Collegium physico-chymicum experimentale. 1716.
- La Tourrete, Alexandre de. Bref discours des admirables vertus de l'or potable. 1575.
- Le Baillif de La Rivière, Roch. Conformité de l'ancienne et moderne médecine. 1592.
- Le Baillif de La Rivière, Roch. [Le] demosterion. 1578.
- Le Baillif de La Rivière, Roch. Premier traicté de l'homme. 1580.
- Lemery, Nicolas. Pharmacopée universelle [tomo I]. 1764.
- Lemery, Nicolas. Pharmacopée universelle [tomo II]. 1764.
- Lemery, Nicolas. Cours de Chymie. 1675.
- Libavius, Andreas. Alchemia. 1597.
- Liébaut, Jean. Quatre livres des secrets de médecine et de la philosophie chymique. 1573.
- Linthaut, Henri de. Commentaire... sur le tresor des tresors de Christofle de Gamon. 1610.
- [pseudo-]Llull, Ramón. De secretis naturae. 1567.
- [pseudo-]Llull, Ramón. Mercuriorum liber. 1567.
- [pseudo-]Llull, Ramón et al. Libelli aliquot chemici. 1572.
- [pseudo-]Llull, Ramón. Codicillus seu Vademecum. 1572.
- [pseudo-]Llull, Ramón. Testamentum. 1573.
- [pseudo-]Llull, Ramón et al. Secreta Secretorvm. 1592.
- [pseudo-]Llull, Ramón & Magno, Alberto. De secretis naturae sive quinta essentia libri duo. 1541.
- Maier, Michael. Michaelis Maieri Viatorium. 1618.
- Malbec de Tresfel, Jean. Abrégé de la théorie et des véritables principes de l'art appellé chymie. 1658.
- Manguet, Jean-Jacques. Bibliotheca chemica curiosa. 1702.
- [pseudo-]Meung, Jean de. [Le ]Miroir d'Alquimie de Jean De Mehun. 1613.
- Musæum Hermeticum reformatum et amplificatum. 1678.
- Mylius, Johann Daniel. Anatomia Auri. 1628.
- Nazari, Giovanni Battista. Della Tramutatione metallica sogni tre. 1572.
- Norton, Samuel. Venus vitriolata. 1630.
- Norton, Samuel. Tractatulus de antiquorum scriptorum considerationibus in alchymia. 1630.
- Norton, Samuel. Saturnus saturatus dissolutus. 1630.
- Norton, Samuel. Metamorphosis lapidem ignobilium in gemmas quasdam pretiosas. 1630.
- Norton, Samuel. Mercurius redivivus. 1630.
- Norton, Samuel. Elixir, seu medicina vitæ. 1630.
- Norton, Samuel. Catholicon physicorum. 1630.
- Norton, Samuel. Alchymiæ complementum. 1630.
- Nuisement, Clovis Hesteau (sieur de) & Sendivogius, Michael. Traittez de l'harmonie et constitution généralle du vray sel / Poème philosophic de la vérité de la phisique minéralle / Cosmopolite ou nouvelle lumière de la phisique naturelle. / Traicté du Soulphre, second principe de la nature. 1639.
- Palissy, Bernard. Recepte véritable par laquelle tous les hommes de la France pourront apprendre à multiplier et augmenter leurs thrésors. 1563.
- Pantheus, Joannes. Voarchadumia contra alchimiam. 1550.
- Pantheus, Joannes. Ars et theoria tranmutationis metallicae. 1550.
- Paracelso. De restituta utriusque medicinæ vera praxi. 1578.
- Paracelso. Philosophiae et medicinae utriusque universae compendium. 1567.
- Paracelso. [La ]grand chirurgie. 1589.
- Paracelso. Labyrinthus medicorum errantium. 1553.
- Paracelso. Archidoxorum. 1570.
- [pseudo-]Paracelso. Aurora thesaurusque philosophorum. 1577.
- Portaleone, Abraham. De Auro dialogi tres. 1584.
- Przypkowski, Samuel (ed.). Enarratio methodica trium Gebri medicinarum. 1678.
- Ruland, Martin. Lexicon Alchemiae. 1612.
- Sendivogius, Michael. Cosmopolite ou nouvelle lumière de la physique naturelle. 1618.
- Sonnet de Courval, Thomas. Satyre contre les charlatans, et pseudomedecins empyriques. 1610.
- Tanckius, Joachim (ed.). De Lapide philosophico tractatus gemini. 1604.
- Tiffereau, Cyprien-Théodore. L'or et la transmutation des métaux. 1889.
- Tollius, Jacobus. Le Chemin du ciel chymique. [ca. 1700].
- Ulsted, Phillipp. Coelum philosophorum. 1543.
- Valentino, Basilio. De microcosmo. 1608-1609.
- Valentino, Basilio. [Les ]douze clefs de philosophie. 1624.
- Vilanova, Arnau. Praxis medicinalis... Tractatus varii exoterici ac chymici. 1586.
-Zapata, Giovanni Battista. Maravigliosi secreti di medicina e chirurgia. 1589.
- Zecaire, Denis [s. e. Cerasius d'Aquitaine, Johannes?] et al. Opuscule tres-excellent de la vraye philosophie naturelle des métaulx. 1574.

Subject: ACADEMY : Research Library
Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear José,

> URL Address:
> http://idd00dnu.eresmas.net/biblio.htm#N_3_

Thank you for compiling that list of links to digital
reproductions of alchemical books. I was especially
interested to learn about the Biblioteca Digital Dioscórides
resources about which I had not known. It is a pity,
however, that some of the larger format works there
(eg. _Bibliotheca chemica curiosa_) are hardly legible
because of the low resolution and JPG quality of the images.

I wonder if better quality digital reproductions are
available from the library?

Here are some other items that you may like to add to your
listing:

Dyas chymica tripartita [beautiful colour edition]
http://diglib.hab.de/drucke/nd-779/start.htm

Emblems of Daniel Cramer [this was published by Adam in English]
http://diglib.hab.de/drucke/th-470/start.htm

Ashmole's Theatrum chemicum britannicum
Boyle's Sceptical chymist
... and others
http://oldsite.library.upenn.edu/etext/collections/science/

a 15th c. alchemical manuscript in Latin, German and Czech
http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/ljs/PageLevel/view.cfm?option=view&ManID=ljs382

and links to some others of possible interest
http://dewey.lib.upenn.edu/sceti/advancedsearch.cfm?CollectionID=schoenberg

Khunrath's Amphitheatrum sapientiae aeternae 1595 engravings [really
nice!]
Moscherosch von Wißelsheim, Wohlmeinende... Studio der Hermetischen
Philosophie
http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/SpecialCollections/virtexh.html

Koffski's Von der ersten Tinctur-Wurzel [my own production]
http://main.amu.edu.pl/~rafalp/SALAMANDRA/editions.html

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Research Library
From: José Rodríguez Guerrero
Date: 5 June 2003

Dear Rafal,

I recomended to use the "zoom in" tool (Spanish: "aumentar"),
this option reproduces the image at a bigger size, allowing a
more detailed visualization. However you are right, the books
originally printed in a small font size are hardly legible.
I am not sure there is a high resolution version, I think not.
Nevertheless, I send you the e-mail address of the Early
Printed Collection department at the Universidad Complutense.

buc_foa@buc.ucm.es

Thank you very much for your notices. I will try to see all.
Presently I only include items if I obtain explicit authorization
of the original supported and hosted institutions (eg. BIUM, BnF, UCM).

Regards,

José Rodríguez

Subject: ACADEMY : Research Library
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear José,

> I recomended to use the "zoom in" tool (Spanish: "aumentar"),
> this option reproduces the image at a bigger size, allowing a
> more detailed visualization. However you are right, the books
> originally printed in a small font size are hardly legible.

Yes, I tried that - but it is the same image being enlarged,
so the quality remains the same. I have now looked at some
other books and they are mostly fine - it is especially
Manget's great compilation that is a problem. BTW: your
link points to the beginning of the second volume rather
than the first one.

> I am not sure there is a high resolution version, I think not.
> Nevertheless, I send you the e-mail address of the Early
> Printed Collection department at the Universidad Complutense.
>
> buc_foa@buc.ucm.es

Thank you - I will write and ask them.

> Thank you very much for your notices. I will try to see all.
> Presently I only include items if I obtain explicit authorization
> of the original supported and hosted institutions (eg. BIUM, BnF, UCM).

Those links are from Herzog August Bibliothek and two US universities
- I am sure they will give you the authorization.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Research Library
From: José Rodríguez Guerrero
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2003

[Manget's great compilation]
>your link points to the beginning of the
>second volume rather than the first one .

Dear Rafal,
Yes, the web page points to the title-page in tome II (image 987) instead of
tome I (image 4), but that is a question of its inner configuration.
Clicking on "First" button brings you to the first image of the work
(usually the bookbinding).
Also, you can use the "Go to" tool to find the image you want to look up
(tome I, images 1-986).
Regards,

José Rodríguez

Subject: ACADEMY : Orphic poem "On Stones"
From: Hereward Tilton
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003

Dear Academy,

I am looking for a version of a poem attributed to Orpheus and
mentioned by Khunrath as his "Büchlein von Steinen" - I can't
find a version at the Staatsbibliothek here in Munich (though
it will surely be there somewhere).

Can anyone help with information on this matter?

Thanks in advance
Hereward Tilton

Subject: ACADEMY : Manly P. Hall
From: Julie Hollingsworth
Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003

I have been studying the audio lectures on alchemy given by
Manly Hall and I was wondering what you on this discussion
board think of him and his work. I bought a book put together
by him that is a bibliography of the manuscript collection the
Getty Museum in LA. The book covers hundreds of manuscripts
and I wanted to tell the discussion group about it, if you don't
already know.

Peace and Love,
Julie

Subject: ACADEMY : Manly P. Hall
From: Adam McLean
Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003

Manly Palmer Hall was a writer on esotericism who
emerged out of the milieu of the Theosophical Society.
He was very influential throughout the 20th century on
the development of the non-scholarly style of eclectic
esotericism. Like the Theosophists of the late 19th
century, M. P. Hall tended to decontextualise the various
writings that he commented on and imposed his own
ideosyncratic interpretations on these. Just for example,
read his commentary on the 'Most Holy Trinosophia'.
Here he brings into his commentary all sorts of material
entirely irrelevant and extraneous to the work.

M.P. Hall is perhaps best known for his massive folio
volume, the 'Encyclopedic Outline...' in which he
summarises in a number of chapters what he liked to
think of as various aspects of secret spiritual teachings
transmitted down the ages.

Despite having an extremely good library of books and
manuscripts on alchemy, M.P. Hall seemed to be limited
by his philosophical and religious preconceptions, and was
never able to take a more objective or scholarly approach
to his studies, indeed he seems more rooted in the 19th
century theosophical speculations.

I doubt whether any scholar of alchemy today would
turn to his writings for insights into alchemy, however,
anyone interested in the ways in which alchemy, esotericism,
freemasonry, magic, and related occult ideas, were
perceived of in the 20th century must be aware of the
powerful influnce which M.P. Hall had in shaping these
perceptions. His legacy is still very pervasive and persuasive !

As far as I understand the descriptive catalogue of his books
and manuscripts on alchemy which you mention, was not
actually written by M.P. Hall, but was undertaken by Ron
Hogart who is credited as the editor.

Adam McLean

Subject: ACADEMY : Orphic poem "On Stones"
From : Peter Forshaw
Date : 8 June 2003

Dear Hereward,

Although I can't help you with the edition of De Lapidibus,
attributed to Orpheus by Khunrath in De Igne, you may be
interested to know that he also refers to Orpheus in the
Amphitheatre (1609), Part II, p.74, quoting from the same
Hymn to Night (Night genesis of all) to which Pico della
Mirandola refers in his Conclusiones (S. A. Farmer,
Syncretism in the West: Pico's 900 Theses, MRTS, 1998,
p.511 10>15: 'Night in Orpheus and Ein-Sof in the Cabala
are the same.').

He makes another Orpheus/Pico reference in Amph.II, p.134
and On Primordial Chaos, Preface Sig )()(8v (I'm using the
facsimile of the Frankfurt: Georg Heinrich Oehrling, 1708 edition),
modifying Pico's 28th Orphic Conclusion into 'Whoever does
not attract Pan approaches nature in vain'. (Cf Farmer,
p.514-5 10>28 Whoever does not attract Pan approaches
nature and Proteus in vain.)

A final reference to Orpheus can be found in Chaos (1708),
pp.134-5 where he cites several lines from the Hymn to Proteus.

It may be worth checking for De Lapidibus in Orphicorum
Fragmenta, ed. Kern (1922), cited by Farmer, p.504.

I'm delighted to hear someone else is researching Khunrath.
Do ask Adam for my email.

Peter Forshaw

Subject: ACADEMY : Orphic poem "On Stones"
From: Peter Forshaw
Date: Sun, 08 Jun 2003

Hereward,

I've just hunted around on the web for references to
Orphei De Lapidibus. Although it's a late edition, it may
be worth checking

Stephanus, Henricus, A.C. Eschenbachius & I.M. Gesnerus (edd., ann.),
Orpheus, Argonautica, Hymni, Libellus de lapidibus, et fragmenta,
Leipzig 1764.

There seems to be a site providing facsimile pages of part of
his edition at

http://www.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/cgi-bin/neubutton.cgi?pfad=/diglib/aufkl/bibschoewiss/130651&seite=00000323.TIF

All the best,
Peter

Subject: ACADEMY : Manly P. Hall
From: Stanislas Klossowski de Rola
Date: 9 June 2003

Dear Adam,
I had the pleasure of visiting Manly Hall in 1989 and presented
him with a copy of the Golden Game. I found him more learned,
in matters dear to our hearts, than is usually given him credit for.
Moreover his company was a delight.

I have been planning for a long time to do a study of his erstwhile
collection of manuscripts now at the Getty - and indeed have
been invited to do so by the present curator of rare books but
so far have not had the time to proceed.

All the best
Stanislas Klossowski de Rola

Subject: ACADEMY : Manly P. Hall
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003
From : Taun Relihan

I believe this is the collection that Mrs. Hall sold to the
Getty after M.P. Hall's death.

I had the pleasure of spending a weekend with the
Hall's when he was very old and it was quite an
experience.

Taun Relihan

Subject: ACADEMY : Valentine's Triumphal Chariot
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003
From : LeighPenman

Dear Academy,

I am just wondering if anyone can shed any light on the
dedication that appears in the Currus Triumphalis Antimonii
of Basilius Valentinius.

The dedication as follows from A.E. Waite's English version
of 1893 (apparently based on the Latin edition of
Amsterdam 1685).

It reads as follows:

'To the illustrious, venerable, saintly, and blessed men, adepts
of the true philosophy, lovers of virtue, lords of fortune, despisers
of the world, whose life is holiness in holiness, knowledge in
knowledge, and whose work consists in the relieving of the
sick and poor.'

The dedication is missing from the only other version I have
of the text, that appearing in Scherer's Alchymia. (1988).

While the Currus itself was first printed in 1624, it had circulated
for some time (as early as 1604) in manuscript form. Does
anyone know if this dedication was added to the printed editions
(and if so, which particular edition), or is it present in any
extant manuscripts (if, indeed, there are any extant manuscripts)?

thanks for any assistance,
Leigh.

Subject: ACADEMY : Valentine's Triumphal Chariot
From: Adam McLean
Date: 11 June 2003

>The dedication as follows from A.E. Waite's English version
>of 1893 (apparently based on the Latin edition of
>Amsterdam 1685).

As I happened to be today in the library here in Glasgow,
I checked the editions in the Ferguson collection --

Nurnberg 1676, Nürnberg 1752, London 1678,
Toulouse 1646 in Latin, Hamburg 1717.

I found this dedication only in the German edition of 1752
This edition has a foreword to the reader which
must have been written shortly before the edition
was printed, as it mentions Stahl (1659-1734)
Dippel [1672-1734] and the date of 1711. This
foreword also mentions the Rosy Cross. Immediately
following the foreword is a dedicatory letter
which begins :-

Denen Vortrefflich, hochzuehrenden, Gottseeligst und
beglüchtesten Männern...

[To the illustrious, venerable, saintly, and blessed men,
adepts of the true philosophy...]

with its Rosicrucian resonances.

It may be that this is an 18th century attempt to
contextualise Valentine within the Rosicrucian
mythos. Unfortunately, I do not have sufficient
abilities in German so I was not able to read through
the foreword and the Dedicatory letter for further clues
as to its relevance. I could find no indication as to the
author of the Dedicatory letter in this edition.

I do not have access here to the earlier 17th
century editions. Perhaps someone else on the
academy list might be able to help with these.

With best wishes,

Adam McLean

Subject: ACADEMY : Weidenfeld Texts
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003
From: Frank Burton

Can anyone give me bibliographic information about
the following text:

J.S. Weidenfeld
Principia Chymiae Secretoris sive Prolegomena Libri Secundi de
Medicamentis Adeptorum

and/or about any other unknown work of this Adept?

Regards,
Frank

Subject: ACADEMY : Valentine's Triumphal Chariot
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Adam McLean wrote:

> I do not have access here to the earlier 17th
> century editions. Perhaps someone else on the
> academy list might be able to help with these.

The 1604 edition is listed in VD17 at Wolfenbuettel:

http://gso.gbv.de/DB=1.28/SET=1/TTL=1/SHW?FRST=2

and there are reproductions of 4 key pages. The title page
says:

Mit einer Vorrede [With an introduction]

and the next line is probably printed in red, as it
is hardly visible (seems to end in "Hermes" so my guess
would be "to the sons of Hermes") and the next line goes
"& Cheirurgiae Professoris in der / Universitet Leipzig".

The second page reproduced is the beginning of a dedicatory
letter addressed to Nicolaus Maius (or Mai), and the 3rd
and 4th are the beginning and end of the text itself,
so the actual "Vorrede" cannot be checked against that
from Waite's edition or the German 1752 edition which
Adam has inspected. But the Nurnberg 1676 edition
(which Adam has also seen) in VD17 does not mention
the "Vorrede" on its title page - but there is one.
There seems to be no dedication, however.

There is also the 1624 edition in VD17 which has
the title page with the same text and this is legible.
So the fragment actually says:

Mit einer Vorrede/ D. Joachimi Tanckii, Anatomes
& Cheirurgiae Professoris in der Universitet Leipzig

Here is the link:

http://gso.gbv.de/DB=1.28/SET=4/TTL=2/SHW?FRST=2

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Valentine's Triumphal Chariot
From: B. Krummenacher
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003

Dear Leigh,

I know from a friend who had studied early publications of
Basilius Valentinus that the dedication you mentioned
must have been written by Kerckring to the brotherhood
of the rosy cross. I shall ask him whether he could verify
this statement.

The first edition had been printed in 1604.

Regards,

Beat Krummenacher

Subject: ACADEMY : Valentine's Triumphal Chariot
From : Stanislas Klossowski de Rola
Date : 14 June 2003

There were several seventeenth century editions bearing
the dedication and the commentary by Theodor Kerkring.
The first Amsterdam edition dates from 1665, the second
one in 1671 the third one in 1675. There were two Geneva
editions one also dating from 1671 and one from 1685.
(All the former are in Latin). The first English translation
is by Richard Russell and was published at London in 1678.
The dedication itself is not especially to the brotherhood of
the rosy cross but to the assembly of the adepts of all ages
into whose circle the author of the commentary aspires to
ascend.

Waite ignores a host of details about Kerkring whose date
of birth is unknown but who died on 2 November 1693.
I have given a number of further details about him in
the 'Golden Game'.

All the very best

Stanislas Klossowski de Rola

Subject: ACADEMY : Samuel Przypkowski
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear All,

The Gallica digital library has _Enarratio methodica trium Gebri
medicinarum_ (Amsterdam 1678) catalogued as authored by
Samuel Przypkowski. In Jose's Azogue listing it is shown as
edited by the same person. I find no mention of him in
the text iteself - nor is he listed by Ferguson in _Bibliotheca
chemica_. Does anyone know the source of this identification?

Samuel Przypkowski (1592-1670) was a leader of Polish Brethren
(Arians or Socinians), as well as a poet and philosopher,
and indeed had his main work published in Amsterdam (1628, 2nd
enlarged ed. 1630) _Dissertatio de pace et concordia ecclesiae_.
But his connection with alchemy is something new to me.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Samuel Przypkowski
From: José Rodríguez Guerrero
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003

>The Gallica digital library has _Enarratio methodica trium Gebri
>medicinarum_ (Amsterdam 1678) catalogued as authored by
>Samuel Przypkowski. In Jose's Azogue listing it is shown as
>edited by the same person. [...] But his connection
>with alchemy is something new to me.

Dear Rafal:

This afternoon I was reading about this question. The BNF
catalogued that book as edited by Samuel Przypkowski.
I copied their references but it seems to be a mistake. I was
reading about Przypkowski life and works and I see he edited
some religious works under the name "Irenæum Philalethes"
(for example the _Anonymi Dissertatio de pace et concordia
ecclesiae_ that you know) . So, Rafal, thank you very much
for your notice. It had been really useful for me because I
overlooked that importat detail.

In the other hand, I couldn't find conclusive informations
about the real author of the treatise _Enarratio methodica_.
William Newman thinks the real author is not, as Harrison
tentatively conjectures, G. Starkey. (see Newman,
_Gehennical Fire_, p. 268, entry #19 in his Starkey bibliography).

I couldn't find any light in the manuscript tradition:

MS. Sloane 225.
Paper. Quarto. 173 folios. 17th Century.
ff. 1r-75v. Enarratio methodica trium Geberi medicinarum, in quibud
continetur vera lapidis philosophici confectio.

MS. Sloane 2188.
Paper. Quarto. 48 folios. 17th Century.
ff.2r-39v. Explanatio trium Geberi medicinarum.

MS. Sloane 3696.
Paper. Quarto. 67 folios. 18th Century.
ff.2r-67r. Declaracion methodicall of Gebers three medecins. wherein is
conteyned the true making of the Philosophers' Stone.

Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Ashmole 1417.
17th Century.
III. pp. 1-95. Narratio methodica trium Geberi medicinarum, in quibus
continetur vera lapidis philosophici confectio. (handwritten text by G. D.
[?]).

Regards,

José Rodríguez Guerrero

Subject: ACADEMY : Samuel Przypkowski
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear José,

> This afternoon I was reading about this question. The BNF
> catalogued that book as edited by Samuel Przypkowski.
> I copied their references but it seems to be a mistake. I was
> reading about Przypkowski life and works and I see he edited
> some religious works under the name "Irenæum Philalethes"
> (for example the _Anonymi Dissertatio de pace et concordia
> ecclesiae_ that you know) .

I am glad you found it helpful - I will try to find out more
about Przypkowski. It is, in fact, possible that Gallica
is correct: his fellow Socinian - Hieronymus Moskorzowski (d. 1625),
who co-authored the Rakovian Catechism with him, and in
1578 wrote the preface to Socin's defence of Francisco Pucci
(the same who had close contacts with Dee and Kelley in Prague)
- was an alchemist and had his own laboratory.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Johann Baptista van Helmont
From: Beat Krummenacher
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003

Does somebody know whether there are perhaps electronic
versions (ebooks) of the works of Johann Baptista van
Helmont in English, German or French?
I would appreciate any informations about such references.

And the same question for "Aphorismes Chymiques" by
Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont, perhaps Limojon de
Saint Didier as the author of this tract.

Regards

Beat Krummenacher

Subject: ACADEMY : Johann Baptista van Helmont
From: Adam McLean
Date: 23 June 2003

> "Aphorismes Chymiques" by Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont,

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/153aphor.html

Subject: ACADEMY : Johann Baptista van Helmont
From: Hereward Tilton
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003

Dear Beat,

There are two works by van Helmont at Gallica,
"Deliramenta Catarrhi, or The incongruities, impossibilities,

and absurdities couched under the vulgar opinion of defluxions", 1624,
and

" De mag vulnerum curatione, disputatio contra opinionem D. Joan
Roberti", 1621.
Gallica is a wonderful resource; go to

http://gallica.bnf.fr/

click on "Recherche" and pop in his name, then click on the book
symbol next to the title.
By the way, I still haven't received an invoice for the order I placed
for a copy of the "Testament der Fraternitet Roseae et Aureae Crucis"
from the Austrian National Library. I'll let you (and the academy)
know when I get a hold of it.

All the best

Hereward Tilton

Subject: ACADEMY : 'Strawberry water of the sea'
From: Peter Forshaw
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003

Does anyone know anything about 'Strawberry water of the sea'?
Someone asked me and I am clueless. Heinrich Khunrath
mentions using 'strawberry water' for dissolving gemstones
in his Quaestiones Tres, but I've never come across
'of the sea', unless it means a saline solution, perhaps
using bay salt?

Suggestions appreciated.

Subject: ACADEMY : Archives updated
From: Adam McLean
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003

I have now updated the archives of the alchemy academy
discussion group by adding entries for Jan - May 2003.

Go to this page to access the archives.

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/a-archive1.html

Adam McLean

Subject: ACADEMY : Dufresnoy
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear All,

Nicolas Lenglet-Dufresnoy's _Histoire de la philosophie hermétique_
is often quoted in various contexts and certainly can be
seen as a key work in alchemical historiography. As I am not
able to inspect it, may I ask what was his attitude towards
alchemy?

Ferguson (BC 2:25) says that "his criticism ... is simply persiflage"
and that to him "alchemy was simply delusion, transmutation
deception, and the literature verbiage".

On the other hand, Barbara Obrist (Vers une histoire de l'alchimie
médiévale, Micrologus 3:5) points to him as the founder of
the philosophical or "esoteric" tradition in alchemical historiography,
who conferred the ritualistic dimension on it.

These two opinions seem contradictory to me...

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003
From : Victoria Gavoian

Is Ashmole's THEATRUM CHEMICUM BRITANNICUM available
online or anywhere specific?

Are any other Ashmole's texts available on line?

Thank you,
Victoria

Subject: ACADEMY : Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Victoria Gavoian wrote:

> Is Ashmole's THEATRUM CHEMICUM BRITANNICUM available
> online or anywhere specific?

There is a full color digital facsimile at the University
of Pennsylvania (plus some other interesting items):

http://oldsite.library.upenn.edu/etext/collections/science

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum
From: B. Krummenacher
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003

Dear Victoria,

you can download the whole book at:

http://oldsite.library.upenn.edu/etext/science/ashmole/006.html

Regards

Beat Krummenacher

Subject: ACADEMY : Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum
From: Mike Dickman
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003

You can also buy the thing online in facsimile reprint (as also his
'Way to Bliss') from Kessinger publications. The address is as
follows:

http://www.kessingerpub.com/

Mike Dickman

Subject: ACADEMY : Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Mike Dickman wrote:

> You can also buy the thing online in facsimile reprint (as also his
> 'Way to Bliss') from Kessinger publications. The address is as
> follows:
> http://www.kessingerpub.com/

You may also read it on-line at Kessinger's:

http://site.ebrary.com/pub/kessinger/Top?isbn=0922802890

First you will be asked to install a plugin. There is also
Ashmole's history of the Order of the Garter and his
(and William Lilly's) biography.

Many other of Kessinger's titles are available there - including
a number of A.E. Waite's editions of alchemical texts (with
The Hermetic Museum etc.) and other items of possible interest.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Dufresnoy
From: Stanislas Klossowki de Rola
Date: 29 June 2003

In the preface to the first volume of his 'Histoire de la philosophie
hermetique' Lenglet Dufresnoy points out that historians despise
"with good reason " everything pertaining to this science, while
the philosophers only concerned with the success of their
operations disregard all historical concerns. He states that
he himself is more concerned with its history than with its
philosophy.
Nevertheless his work is directed toward the man of the world,
the artist and the book collector who shall each find in all three
volumes matters to suit their own bent.
One must read our author carefully for he does appear to make
light of alchemy but that "persiflage" is in fact a pose and he
is, he confesses himself elsewhere, deeply interested in his
subject and in heralding true masters such as Sendivogius
and Philalethes. One should in order to form an exact opinion
read each of the prefaces to the three volumes carefully.
His scholarly collation of Philalethes' texts in Latin corrects
the defects of preceding editions and takes into account the
English edition of 1669.
His translation might be over literary rather than strictly
adhering to the text. It is florid but well written and again the
scholar has the choice to resort to the Latin.
The third volume is a treasure trove for the bibliophile and
again I wish I could translate the preface which gives a very
different point of view from the abusive superiority of learned
ignorants which he appears at times to justify. In reality his
apparent distrust and dismissal of some authors is based
upon his rejection of fraud and his condemnation of greed,
avarice, and mundane ambition in such lofty matters.

All the best

Stanislas Klossowki de Rola

Subject: ACADEMY : Journal of alchemical studies
From: Adam McLean
Date: 30th June 2003

I have decided to publish in paper form a journal devoted
to alchemy. I am not at all certain that the 'virtual' or web
format journal really works well as a medium, so I would like
to launch this as an actual paper publication. Many people
still prefer to read off paper and such a journal does have,
I believe, more gravitas than the online magazine, that
people merely skim read, bookmark and forget.

I will, of course, need some help with this and hopefully some
of the more active members of the Alchemy Academy might
be willing to assist.

The journal will have high scholarly standards and will focus
only on alchemy. I intend to issue it every six months, from
January 2004. I think it best to restrict the language to English.
The journal will hopefully be a focus for alchemical studies
and research.

I will require, of course, articles and other short pieces for
the journal, also reviews, though there are very few
new publications each year on alchemy.

I would like to have some regular features that continue
through each issue. I am thinking here of a regular short
essay (maybe only a page or two) on a particular alchemist,
summarising his life and contribution to alchemy. Another
similar idea would be a regular short piece devoted to a
particular alchemical book, summarising it and trying to
trace its influence on alchemical thought. Perhaps
we could do the same for a particular manuscript.
This could also be done for an artwork or emblem.

So I would like volunteers to assist with such regular
columns.

Another idea would be a regular interview with a scholar
or researcher. These could be conducted by email.
Perhaps also critical assessments of previous scholar's
work.

It would also be good to include in each issue a transcription
of a short alchemical work - and if possible some of these
could be translations from Latin, German, French and other
languages.

Another important regular project would be to list and perhaps
summarise, articles on alchemy related matters published
in other scholarly journals.

So there are lots of possibilities, and to sustain these I will
need some volunteers and helpers.

It would be excellent if I could have some help with translation.
Although the journal will be in English, I am very aware that
there are many important researchers whose first
language is not English, and who might feel daunted in writing
an article in English, but if I had some translators then
we could allow articles to be submitted in other languages
but be translated into English for the journal.

The journal, of course, is unlikely to attract any funding, indeed
I expect I will have to subsidise it out of my own pocket, but I
feel there is a need to have such a vehicle for alchemical
research, so I am prepared to put the work into making
this happen. I will need help !!! So, please, I need volunteers
to assist with the ideas I have put forward for the journal.
Any other suggestions will be gratefully received !

You can reply to me at adam@alchemywebsite.com

With best wishes,

Adam McLean

Subject: ACADEMY : The Book of the Composition of Alchemy
From: Ahmad Y. al-Hassan
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003

It may be of interest to members of the Academy to know that
I was able to secure copies of the two Arabic manuscripts
giving the text of the dialogue between Morienus and Khalid
(The Book of the Composition of Alchemy). I have edited the
Arabic text, and compared it to the known English translations
of the Latin texts. The correlation is very close.

I am indebted for securing the two manuscripts from Istanbul
to Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin, Director of Institut für Geschichte
der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften, at Johann Wolfgang
Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt.

A paper will appear at the web site

www.gabarin.com/ayh

And I hope to publish the complete Arabic text facing the
English one to show the correlation between the two,
either in a long paper or in book form.

Ahmad Y. al-Hassan