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Cambridge. Corpus Christi College, Parker Library MS 395

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Source
Parker Library On the Web (Cambridge)
Library
UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library
Shelfmark
  • MS 395
Biblissima authority file
Date
  • 1400 - 1499
Language
  • Latin
  • Catalan
Title
    • Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 395: Iohannes de Rupescissa OFM, Liber de consideratione quintae essentiae. Ramón Lull, Tertia distinctio. Alchemical Tracts
    • Iohannes de Rupescissa OFM, Quinta essentia || Liber de consideratione quintae essentiae [per Ioannem de Rupescissa]
    • De uirtutibus lunariis || Tractatus de virtutibus lunariae
    • Robert Green of Welby, De fama || Epistola Roberti de Welbe de fama, 1506
    • Ramón Lull, Tertia distinctio || Tertia distinctio seu pars libri Raymundi de quinta essentia
    • Hortulanos, Commentary on the Emerald Table of Hermes. Averroes, Operatio lapidis || Expositio epistolae Hermetis, et operatio lapidis per Averroem
    • Robert Green of Welby, Quaestiones super benedicti lapidis philosophici compositione || Questiones perutiles de lapide philosophorum
    • Robert Green of Welby, Secretum || Tractatus qui dicitur, Secretum meum michi
    • Robert Green of Welby, Pulchrum somnium || Visio
    • Robert Green of Welby, Dialogus inter Hilardum necromanticum et quendam spiritum || Dialogus inter Hilardum necromanticum et quendam spiritum
    • see more
Agent
Description

  • Summary: CCCC MS 395 is a compilation of alchemical texts copied partly in the early fifteenth century and partly in the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century. It begins with a long text by Iohannes de Rupescissa OFM (Roqetaillade, d. c. 1362 - pseudo-Ramon Lull), his Liber de consideratione quintae essentiae. This section contains a few diagrams and coloured drawings, notably two full-page (ff. 49v-50r) illustrating lunaria grass. The style of this drawing and some texts in Catalan, suggest this part may have been made in Catalonia. Textual additions have been made by an English scribe, and the book seems to have come to England by the second half of the fifteenth century. In addition to a number of other minor alchemical tracts, the codex also contains a number of works attributed to Robert Green of Welby (c. 1467-after 1544), including De fama, Quaestiones super benedicti lapidis philosophici compositione, Secretum, Pulchrum somnium and Dialogus inter Hilardum necromanticum et quendam spiritum. Green's name is also inscribed on a flyleaf of the MS, though it is not clear whether this was intended as a mark of ownership or as a note of the authorship of the texts within the volume.


    Contents :


    1r-48r - Iohannes de Rupescissa OFM, Quinta essentia || Liber de consideratione quintae essentiae [per Ioannem de Rupescissa]

    rubric: (1r) Primus liber de consideratione quinte essencie omnium rerum transmutabilium. In nomine domini nostri Ihesu Christi. Incipit liber de famulatu philosophie datus ab angelis domini nostri Ihesu Christi pauperibus euangelicis viris

    Note: Sixteenth century notes from Ecclus. iii, John xvii and: o curas hominum o quantum est in rebus inane

    Note: Prologue

    incipit: (1r) Dixit Salomon sapientie capitulo septimo. Deus dedit michi horum scienciam

    explicit: (2r) iuxta ordinem titulorum inferius scribendorum

    incipit: (2r) Secretum primum est. quia per virtutem quam contulit deus

    explicit: (48r) in eius absencia aqua ardens. Deo omnipotenti patri pariterque filio suo atque spiritui santo sit laus per infinita secula seculorum. Amen

    rubric: (48r) Explicit liber (2us) de consideratione quinte essencie omnium rerum pauperibus et euangelicis viris erogatum


    48v-51r - De uirtutibus lunariis || Tractatus de virtutibus lunariae

    Note: cum figuris illius plantae haud ineleganter illuminatis

    Note: A later hand

    rubric: (48v) Hic sequuntur virtutes lunarie prout habetur in libris hermetis

    incipit: (48v) Quedam est planta que dicitur (borisa uel) loathii in latino vero vocatur lunaria

    explicit: (49r) figura ipsius herbe sequitur in foliis sequentibus

    Note: Coloured drawings by an earlier hand:

    Note: (49v) Two plants. At top, Sun and Moon

    Note: (50r) Youth in blue gown holding up label inscribed: certes alli desus se troba que es stellaria e lunaria. la qual yo se per estrologiaTwo strange plants: Sun and Moon above

    Note: (50v) Three plants with leaves and flowers, well drawn

    Note: Inscriptions begin: Aquesta es la lunaria blaua perco com fa la floreta blaua, etc. La quarta lunaria es aquesta. E com la trobaras cerqua la lunaria dins, etc. Aquesta es reymerola o lunaria menor, etc. Martagon en senis etc.

    Note: p. 103 blank


    56v-59v - Robert Green of Welby, De fama || Epistola Roberti de Welbe de fama, 1506

    Note: Later hand of no. 2

    rubric: (56v) Omnibus asumptis rebus maneat tibi fama Intemerata. minus sic tua fata lues

    incipit: (56v) Fama namque si tibi sit integra serues quisquis es pro viribus

    explicit: (57v) et causas euita que oppugnarent eam. Et hec de fama sufficiant

    Note: (over erasure: Robertus G(rene) de Welbe. Anno 1506. in las..)

    Note: Rob. Grene de Welbe. Robert Welby proctor 1479-80 occurs in Grace Book A, pp. xxxii and 142: Robert Welby in Grace Book B I for ad eiusdem degrees 1492 and 3, pp. 38, 65 (H. P. S.)

    Note: pp. 117-120 blank


    60r-120r - Ramón Lull, Tertia distinctio || Tertia distinctio seu pars libri Raymundi de quinta essentia

    Note: Hand probably that of no. 1

    rubric: (60r) Incipit tercia disti(n)ctio que est de alteracione metallorum et de magisterio eorum et medicina

    incipit: (60r) Hec est tercia distincio huius libri que est de cura metallorum

    Note: Good diagrams, and a pretty volvel on 124, 125, 158

    Note: Text seems to end

    explicit: (113r) omnium principiorum ut secundum ea que dicta sunt

    Note: 228, 229 are occupied by a table

    rubric: (115r) Taula en pla de les significations de les letres del arbre e de les figuras posades en aquesta art transmutatoria. E primerament del arbre

    incipit: (115r) A significa chaos que uol dir confussio

    Note: Two similar sections, 232, 233

    Note: Receipts in Catalan

    incipit: (116v) Recipe ço es prenets una onça de luna bona e fina

    Note: 240, 241 blank


    120v-124v - Hortulanos, Commentary on the Emerald Table of Hermes. Averroes, Operatio lapidis || Expositio epistolae Hermetis, et operatio lapidis per Averroem

    Note: Later hand

    rubric: (120v) Expositio epistole hermetis post Ortholanum et est Auerrois prologus

    incipit: (120v) Huius libelli series sequentibus splendet capitulis

    rubric: (120v) Sequitur epistola

    incipit: (120v) Dicit ergo philosophus sic. Verum est et verissimum

    explicit: (120v) quod dixi de operacione solis

    rubric: (120v) Explicit epistola

    rubric: (120v) Exposicio

    incipit: (120v) Exponitur sic. Verum est dicit ad dandum intelligi

    explicit: (124r) Et sic completum est quod dixit de operacione solis. Et sic explicit expositio epistolae hermetis secundum Auerroys philosophum

    rubric: (124r) deo gracias


    125r-127r - Robert Green of Welby, Quaestiones super benedicti lapidis philosophici compositione || Questiones perutiles de lapide philosophorum

    Note: Hand of no. 2

    rubric: (125r) Questiones perutiles super benedicti lapidis philosophici compositione

    incipit: (125r) Questiones lapidis benedicti. Questio prima. quoniam aqua nostra ex plumbo

    explicit: (127r) cum paciencia consequeris. Hic concluditur tota sciencia

    rubric: (127r) Explicit

    Note: [R. G. de Welbe]


    127v-130r - Robert Green of Welby, Secretum || Tractatus qui dicitur, Secretum meum michi

    rubric: (127v) Secretum meum michi

    incipit: (127v) Est enim medicine nostre inicium ut soluatur corpus

    explicit: (129v) infinita maroa videri posset. Deo gracias

    rubric: (129v) Explicit Secretum meum michi omni laude dignissimum

    Note: [R. de Welbe]

    Note: 261 blank


    130v-131v - Robert Green of Welby, Pulchrum somnium || Visio

    rubric: (130v) In nomine Ihesu Christi Visio

    incipit: (130v) Dum eram Iuuenis ibam per mundum uniuersum secreta creatoris altissimi eterne indagans

    explicit: (131v) piissimo Ihesu adiuuante cui sit laus honor et gloria per infinita seculorum secula. Amen

    rubric: (131v) Explicit pulcrum sompnium verum et utile

    Note: [R. Green]


    132r-132v - Robert Green of Welby, Dialogus inter Hilardum necromanticum et quendam spiritum || Dialogus inter Hilardum necromanticum et quendam spiritum

    Note: Quatuor ultimis tractatibus subscribitur nomen R. G. de Welbe, sed utrum ipse fuerit eorum autor vel saltem possessor codicis dubito

    Note: Another hand

    rubric: (132r) Dialogus inter hylardum necromanticum et quendam spiritum feliciter incipit

    incipit: (132r) Hilardus. Utrum potest fieri lapis qui dicitur philosophorum transformans omnia metalla in auri et argenti speciem. Spiritus. In auro sunt omnia metalla

    explicit: (132v) et super hoc cessauit nec ulterius loqui voluit

    rubric: (132v) Explicit dialogus inter Hilardum et spiritum

    Note: [R. Green de Welbe ]

    Note: Occurs also in MS. Ashmole 1472, art. iii

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  • Images courtesy of The Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. For higher resolution images suitable for scholarly or commercial publication, either in print or in an electronic format, please contact the Parker Library directly at parker-library@corpus.cam.ac.uk
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