Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Of the great mysterie of antimonie

Authors

• Suchten, Alexander von, ca. 1520-1590
• Figulus, Benedictus, fl. 1587-1607

Other related names

• Teynton, Edmund, former owner
• Winthrop, Thomas, former owner
• Tainter, Charles M, former owner
• Breuchaud, I. R, former owner

Call number

Ms. Codex 119
(Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Rare Book & Manuscript Library)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 1580535
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/medren/1580535

Publisher

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries

Origin

Date

16--

Place

England

Summary

Alchemical work by Alexander von Suchten (f. 6r-160v; ms. say "van," not "von"). Translated directly from the German edition of Michael Toxites (Strassbourg, 1570). Also contains an alchemical work by Benedictus Figulus, The golden and blessed pandora of the great mysteries in nature holding forth the revelation of ... Hermes Tresmegistus, interpreted by Theophrastus Paracelsus. Whereunto is annexed the elucidation of it, of ... Alexander van Suchten (f. 165r-292r). This is a translation of the original published in Strassbourg in 1608.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title from title page (f. 6r).
   
• Title of second work from f. 165r. This work was published in Strassbourg in 1608 with the Latin title, Pandora magnalium naturalium aurea et benedicta, de benedicto lapidus philosoph[orum] mysterio. An English translation of this work was published (London: J. Elliott, 1893) under the title, A golden and blessed casket of nature's marvels.
   
• First work, incipit and explicit: (f. 6r) [preface] Courteous reader, I thought good, to let you understand ... (f. 150r) read it with judgement, before hee judgeth them. For hee that judgeth indiscreetly, will have the worst of it. Fare well. [There follows and alphabetical "register of the contents," f. 151r-160v.].
   
• Second work, incipit and explicit: (f. 165r) [preface] Most honorable gentlemen; In the course of my studyes ... (f. 292r) with Sol and lune, attayneth unto the mysterie. Finis.
   
• From Zacour-Hirsch: "A letter from the Mass. Hist. Soc. indicates that this ms. may be in the handwriting of John Winthrop, Jr. (1606-1676)" This letter has not been located.
   
• Forms part of: Edgar F. Smith Memorial Collection.
   

Watermark

Contains the letters ICO.

Extent

296 leaves : 189 x 150 (161 x 114) mm. bound to 195 x 155 mm

Foliation

Paper, 296; [1-296]; modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto.

Collation

[v], A-Z², AA-RR², 2, A-Z², AA-II², [iv].

Signatures

First two folios of each quire signed A1, A2 ... etc. The system begins anew with the second text, f. 165. No catchwords.

Support

Paper

Binding

Calf over pasteboards, with pastedowns from a contemporary printed Bible (printer's waste). English, 18th century. Spine is split, and the codex is completely broken in half between f. 150 and 151 (i.e., between quires OO and PP of the first section). Quire PP is pulling loose. Leather of cover splitting at the upper hinge. Slight water damage to some of the leaves.

Script

Written in a semi-cursive script by a single hand.

Provenance

• Formerly owned by Edmund Teynton, 18th century (f. 6r); sold by Thomas Winthrop, New London (f. 5v), to Charles M. Tainter, Colchester, Conn., 1868 (f. 5v, 6r); I. R. Breuchaud, 1902 (f. 1r).
   

Subjects topical

• Alchemy--Early works to 1800
• Antimony--Early works to 1800
• Chemistry--History

Genres

• Codices
• Manuscripts, English--17th century
• Manuscripts, European

Licenses

• Text

  This description is ©2016 University of Pennsylvania Libraries. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

• Text

  All referenced images and their content are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

Decorations

• Inside front cover — Reused printed leaf, Inside front cover
• fol. 1r — Owner signature, f. 1r
• fol. 1r — Bookplate, f. 1r
• fol. 5v — Owner note, f. 5v
• fol. 6r — Owner note, f. 6r