MS. Ashmole 1450
Summary Catalogue no.: 7628
Composite alchemical manuscript in Latin and English; 15th-17th centuries
Physical Description
History
Provenance and Acquisition
“Liber mei Christopheri Taylour”, fol. 1; fol. 14r, 49r and 66v are inscribed in a similar manner; and at the foot of the first page is written “Joh. . . Bryghtes boke.”
Bequeathed by him to the Ashmolean Museum.
Transferred to the Bodleian Library in 1860.
MS. Ashmole 1450 – Part 1
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 319/ii (noting this copy)
eTK 1434JSinger, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 495/ii (noting this copy); a continuation of the preceding?
eTK 0418JSinger, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 229/x (this copy)
Fols. 6v-10v are treated by Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 300/ii as one item.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 300/ii (this copy)
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 288/iii (this copy)
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 1111/xciv (this copy)
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 342/iii (this copy)
eTK 1334GSinger, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 172 (this copy listed in corrigenda)
eTK 0289MWith other experimenta.
With other experimenta.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 185/iii (this copy)
eTK 1330BSinger, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 153/iii (this copy)
eTK 0281G, cf. 0281HSinger, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 232/ii (this copy)
Over this page (28a) is written (by the same hand ?) “Md to enquire for M’ Totyade parsone of Yeldene in com ‘Bedford’ wt in 3 myles of Higham Ferys.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 226/xviii(this copy)
eTK 1683CSinger, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 193/vii (this copy)
eTK 1688BSinger, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 209C/ii (this copy)
The beginning of this copy so materially varies from that in No. 1406, i. art. 1, as to suggest whether they were not different translations from a French or Italian original. The present copy is unfinished, and ends thus
The next leaf is vacant; and so perhaps was f. 39, which now is lost.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 317/iv (this copy)
eTK 0974GEnds in Capricorn
Designed to fill the four blank pages here, but only 8 lines are written.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 320 (this copy only)
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 67/v (this copy), covering fols. 47-53v.
eTK 0882BIt ends imperfectly, with this title,-“Nunc de vase sequitur.” After six blank pages, occur the following pieces.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 40/vii (this copy)
eTK 0570AOn the last page, written by old hands, are, a fragment of an old Song (6 lines, incipit below) aud the following title of a book, “Traicte des chiffres, ou secretes manieres d’escrire, par Blaise De Vigenere, Bourbonnois. A Paris, 1587.”
Physical Description
History
MS. Ashmole 1450 – Part 2
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., no. 292/xxviii (this copy)
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., App. I K 3/xiv (this copy)
Physical Description
Decoration
Diagram / drawing of alchemical instrument.
History
MS. Ashmole 1450 – Part 3
Contents
Language(s): English
Three tables of “Infortunat daies after sundry verie aunchent oppinions of great antiquity,” with remarks. The first is after “th’opinion. of Eliaxnore Stroder;” the others are anonymous.
“The third chapter [and other large passages] of Tho: Norton’s booke,” called the Ordinall of Alchemy. (pp. 1-19.) Ending with the last line of the work, subscribed “Finis. Quod Norton.”
Medicine “For to bringe out the canker in what place hee be,” and nineteen other remedies.
Physical Description
History
MS. Ashmole 1450 – Part 4
Contents
The margins of this copy, written about the time of Queen Elizabeth, contain notes by Robson, and by an other old hand that added, on the last leaf,- Notes, (1) Why alchemy is called ‘the lower astronomye;’ (2) “Arnoldus de operacionibus et effectibus elementorum (3) “The degrease of the worke.” f. 72a. On the next page are written some notes, by Robson, respecting the ‘worke’ in the following MS., which he probably bound with this.
Physical Description
History
MS. Ashmole 1450 – Part 5
Contents
Identified IMEP p. 81 art. 1 as a translation of (Ps.-)Arnold of Villanova, Rosarium, bk. II.
Commentary includes: ‘Unde quidam philosophus- | Uncia gallarum, medium sit et uncia gummi, | Et bis vitrioli: superaddas octo falerni. | Hoc faciant omnes incaustum composituri.’
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 791/viii and cf. 824/xiv (both this ms.)
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 282/viii (this ms.)
eTK 0328GSinger, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 400 (this copy only)
Physical Description
History
MS. Ashmole 1450 – Part 6
Contents
Language(s): Middle English
The title is written over the pages in a large antient hand.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 250/x (as a version of (Ps.-)Ramon Lull, Epistola accurtationis lapidis); IMEP p. 81 art 2.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 250/x (as a version of (Ps.-)Ramon Lull, Epistola accurtationis lapidis); IMEP p. 81 art 3.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 250/x (as a version of (Ps.-)Ramon Lull, Epistola accurtationis lapidis); IMEP p. 81 art 4.
The greater part of this article is lost. There is a note at the foot of f. 67b, referring to a continuation of it, at “ye folio 15 countynge forward from this folio 67:” but it is difficult to understand how that could be. The last words of this imperfect piece appear to be-
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 292/xl (as a version of John of Rupescissa, De quinta essentia); IMEP, p. 82, art. 5; eVK2 3526.00
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 366 (this copy only); IMEP p. 82 art. 9
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 1010 (this copy only); IMEP p. 82 art. 10.
With other processes.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 1112/lxv; IMEP p. 82 art. 11.
Ending (under the title “For to doo a wey the stynckyng and blacknez of lead, and also to bryng hym in to a rede colour,” if it belong to this article.
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 771 (this copy only); IMEP p. 82 art. 6 ('a collection of seven alchemical recipes').
Ending (in a passage much corrected)-
Singer, Cat. Alchemical MSS., 250/xi (as a version of (Ps.-)Ramon Lull, Epistola accurtationis lapidis); IMEP p. 82 art. 7.
IMEP p. 82 art. 7.
Physical Description
History
MS. Ashmole 1450 – Part 7
Contents
Language(s): Middle English and Latin
IMEP p. 83 art. 12
Jennifer Rampling, 'The Catalogue of the Ripley Corpus: Alchemical Writings Attributed to George Ripley (d. ca. 1490)', Ambix 57/2 (July 2010), 125-201, no. 27.8 (p. 188) (this ms.); see also no. 1.viii.Immediately followed by DIMEV 4236 as if part of the same work.
Also in Cambridge, Trinity College, O.2.15; eVK2 0761.00; translation of Ps.-Ramon Lull, De intentione alchemistarum (Pereira, op. cit. I.33) (?).
In English and Latin
Four other processes attributed to Raymond Lull.
Physical Description
History
Provenance
Johannes Baildonus clericus est hujus libri possessor. Kepe this booke frome evil persones.
Additional Information
Record Sources
Bibliography
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2022-12: Revised with reference to Quarto catalogue and literature as cited.