Mellon MS 6

 ALCHEMICAL MISCELLANY, in Latin and Italian
 North Italy, unsigned, about 1435

 6.1 Marbod. Liber lapidum preciosorum.
 6.2 Anonymous. Seventy-three miscellaneous procedures and
 remedies, in Latin.
 6.3 Anonymous. An account of the astronomical positions of the
 signs of the Zodiac, their qualities, and important days,
 in Italian.
 6.4 Zael (Thelque). De sigillis in lapidibus sculptis.
 6.5 Michael Scot. A medical recipe, in Latin.
 6.6 Anonymous. Two medical recipes, in Latin.
 6.7 Anonymous. Thirteen alchemical procedures for coloring,
 glassmaking, and majolica, in Italian.
 6.8 Anonymous. Sixteen medical and alchemical recipes, in Italian.

Paper codex in Latin and Italian, folio, 278 x 214, f. 17, a fragment
extracted from a codex, eighteenth- century foliation in ink erased, modern
pencil foliation 1-17; no signatures. Collation: 1 f.+(1)^^16. No catchwords;
each leaf faintly ruled in ink with bordering lines for 2 columns, ca. 195 x
165, ca. 40 lines to the column of ff. 1-14, 56 lines on f. 15v, 1,
occasional headlines; pricking preserved in upper margins; probably written
throughout by a single hand, employing a Gothico antiqua on ff. 1-11r, with a
less formal treatment of the same elsewhere, and related, more cursive
writing for most of the passages in Italian, the writing relatively careful
at the beginning, progressively less so until the end; frequent abbreviation,
carelessly executed; red ink for most headings, red capitals and paragraph
marks, except on f. 11v-12r and 16v-17r, which are without color, the
remainder of the ink brown; rare correction; a marginal note in ink,
subsequently crossed through, on f. 12v in an Italian hand, ca. 1700; the
paper with unidentified flower-petal watermark; lower margins affected by
damp throughout and partly repaired with blank paper.

BINDING: Nineteenth-century fancy paper boards, more recent gilt-stamped
label on backstrip.

PROVENANCE: Without indications of early ownership; many booksellers'
scribbles in pencil and ink on pastedowns and flyleaves, mostly erased; Denis
Duveen, with his inked number 105, acquired from Emil Offenbacher
(bookseller), New York, 1948; Mellon MS go, acquired with the Duveen
collection. De Ricci-Bond 20 (90).

CONTENTS

f. 1r: [Blank, except for an illegible scribble at foot.]

f. 1v1, 1: Incipit liber lapidum preciosorum et de virtutibus | et
qualitatibus eorundem [one-line space] | GEmmis agummi [sic] nomen posuere
priores. | [line 8] Evax rex arabum legitur scripsisse nerony

f. 6v2, 12: Explicit liber lapidum preciosorum et virtu- | tibus et
qualitat1bus eorundem editum [sic] per | Enay [sic] regem persarum arabum
missum postea | neroni Imperatori rome | [remainder of f. 6v2 blank.]
 [6.1: Marbod, Liber lapidum seu degemmis, TK 530, PL 171, 1737 et seq.; with
a four-line verse prologue, TK 580, PL 171, 1737-38, preceding prologue, line
8.]

f. 7r1, 1: Ad probandum utrum infirmus evadat an non |... [This procedure is
the first in an extended series, of which the headings have been transcribed,
as follows:] Ad acuendum et indurandum ferum |... Ad faciendum asinum tonare
alta voce |... Ad removendum litteras. |... Ad conservandum Vinum ne
corumpatur. |... Ad vinum coruptum restaurandum. | ... Ut manus tua ardeat ad
modum candele | sine lesionem [sic] |... Candellam contra quem si manus
apertas tenueris | tam cito extinguetur. si vero clauseris subito |
reverteretur. |... Ad spinam extraendam | ... Aqua Vite. |... Ad faciendum
aqua [sic] que posita in Vitro | facit videre in nocte. |... Ad conservandum
vinum ne corumpatur |... Ad Vinum turbidum et corruptum clarificandum | et
reparandum |... Ad hoc quod quis [sic] sine lesione comburi videatur | ...
Experimentum mirabile quod facit homines in igne | sine lesione ingredi vel
etiam portare ignem | aut [?] ferum calidum in manu. |... Carbunculum
continuo lumen praestantem sic facias |... SI vis facere quam proprijs
manibus ignem gestare |... SI vis facere de cristallo grisolitum pone cri- |
stalum in oleo tasi... Ad indurandum vitrum tamquam ferum |... Ut scias de
pregnante. Utrum .Masculum. vel .feminam. habere debeat |... Ad faciendum
canes trepidare. |... Ad faciendum testas asiny |... Ad faciendum gentes
nigras et videri tamquam | saracenos. |... Ad faciendum paleas serpentibus
asimilari | ... Si vis aliquem quasi mortuum et non habebit malum |... Ad
omne metallum dealbandum ... Composito [sic] ignis inestinguibilis facilis et
experta | [Several differing recipes are supplied.] ... Ad faciendum vinum
fortissimum subito | [Three related procedures follow.]... Ad molificandum
ferum quasi stagnum |... Ad nigrandum |... Si vis facere de duabus aquis lac
|... Ad faciendum aquam que habebit colorem | optimum lazuri. |... Ad
faciendum ["acqua" canceled] quod aqua habeat pul- | cerimi vini colore [sic]
|... Ad tingendum os cui vis |... Ad faciendum maturare in eadem hora melones
| et cucumeros et cucurbitas | [This recipe has been canceled.]... Ad
disolvendum corpora metallorum |... Ad faciendum collam mirabilem ad
contingendum | aurum vel lapidem et omnia alia |... Colla ad omnes gemmas
retinendas et ad vasa | fracta fictilia et vitrea et ad faciendum | manubria
pro cutellis et verecissima [sic]. | ... Si vis facere ferrum durissimum et
fortissimum | ut omnia incidat. |... SI scire volueris somnium tuum... DIcit
galienus. quod hoc sunt signa mortife- | ra [sic]... Probatio in cunctis
egritudinibus utrum vivere debes aut infirmi an morituri. |... Ad faciendum
ferrum. |... Aqua ad disolvendum ferrum. |... Ut ferrum fiat valde pulcrum,
exeat de forna- | ce temperatum | ... Operatio ligni et mirabilibus magnis.
[sic] | ... Ad molificandum vitrum |... Ad temperandum ferrum malei [sic] |
... Item ad incidendum omnem ferrum et omne metallum |... Item aliud ad
incidendum lapidem tepies op- | tima [sic] | ... Ad faciendum ambro [sic, for
"ambrosiam"?] | ... Compositio ignis inextinguibilis | ... Candella que
accensa continuum praestat incen- | dium | [sic]... Ad idem |... Ad idem |...
Modus ignis faeti [sic] |... Modus alius. |... Ad faciendum acetum de vino.
|... Ad idem |... Ad idem |... Ad incidendum Cristallum sicut pastam et si
vis | eam colare et deflammatis [?] multis | [sic?]... Ad incidendum vitrum
ferum fortissimum calidum [?] |... Ad renovandum ceram veterem | ... Ad
seribendum de filijs de auro |... Si vis quod littere fiant secrete |... Si
vis quod littera fiant secrete [sie] | ... Ad faciendum litteras que solum ad
lumen lune | possint legi. |... Hec sunt virtutes herve tineij [?] | ... Ad
habendas uvas maturas intrante men- | se Junij. | ... Ad clarificandum muxtum
[sie] | ... Ad removendum acetositatem de vino. |... Ad sanandum vinum
versatum |... Ad removendum muffa [?] de vino | [Ends f. 11r2, 9.]
  [6.2: Anonymous, Seventy-three miscellaneous procedures and remedies, in
Latin, not identified.]

f. 11v, headline: [In a hand similar to that of the text] Ad sit principio
deo gratias [sic] | f. 11v1, 1: [In a hand similar to and perhaps identical
with that on ff. 1r-11r] Nota che lo cielo. Sie uno cielo nelquale | cielo
sie duodici signj e zaschaduno se- | gno sia xxx gradi... [Ends f. 12r2, 33:]
November 5 et 28 dicember 7 et 22 |
 [6.3: Anonymous, A brief account ofthe astronomical positions of the signs
of the Zodiac, their qualities and important days, in Italian, not
identified.]

f. 12v, headline: In nomine domini dei eterni hic est preciosus liber atque
secretus sigillorum thelque [word not read] | filij israel in desertum post
exitum de egito secundum modus et corsus siderum | [headline above column 1
only:] de virtute infrascripti sigilli in lapide | precioso sculti [sic] |
[f. 12v1, 1:] Si inveneris sigillum in Lapide scultum |... [Ends f. 14r2, 32
after several prayers beginning f. 14r1, 24] in omnore omnium apostolorum et
tres in om- | nore omnium virginum et confesorum | [sic]
 [6.4: Zael? (Cehel, Ethel, Techel, Thetel, or Thelque, as in this copy), De
sigillis in lapidibus sculptis, TK 1452; T II, pp. 390, 399-400; ed. Joan
Evans, Magical Jewels (1922), pp. 235-238.]

f. 14v, headline: Oleum Magistri Michaelis scotti | Contra lumbricos | [Ends
f. 14v1, 31]... con vino albo [sic] |
  [6.5: Michael Scot, Oleum, an oil against the worm, not otherwise
identified.]

f. 14v1, 32: Pulvis ad [omnem?] mirabilis et preciosa |

f. 14v2, 1: Ad evitandum a morbo corpora humana tempore pestifero | [Ends f.
14v2, 18; remainder of f. 14v blank.]
  [6.6: Anonymous, Two medical recipes, in Latin, not identified.]

f. 15r1, headline: Tintura de balasci [balausti?] et di Rubinj | [This opens
a series of procedures in Italian, of which the headings have been
transcribed, as follows:] Affare il vetro in collore dognj pietra |... Affare
crocho ferro alfuoco |... Acalcinar lo tartaro che sia nero |... Affare color
d[']attimo |... Affare pietra durissima | ... Affare color Vermiglio | ... A
calcinar lo cristallo et cetera | ... A dare colore alcolaro |... Adaffinare
lo salnitro et cetera | ... Como si fa la in vitriatura [sic] | dele scudelle
di maiolica |... [Ends f. 15v2, 18:]... et pensa vera facto secondo balda- |
ssera benedetto ubriachj | [remainder of f. 15v blank.]
 [6.7: Anonymous, Thirteen alchemical procedures in Italian, several dealing
with glassmaking, the last on majolica. Not identified, but possibly by
Baldassare Benedetto Ubriachi, who is mentioned at the end.]

f. 16r: [Blank.]

ff. 16v1, 1-17r1, 32: [A series of sixteen medicinal recipes carelessly
written in Italian in a cursive hand, perhaps that of the preceding, but
extremely difficult to read and not transcribed.]
 [6.8: Anonymous, Sixteen medical and alchemical recipes, in Italian, not
identified.]

ff. 17r2-17v: [Blank.]

SUMMARY: This fragment contains a private compilation, written by an
individual who had some contact with the practice of magic, at least in the
sense of the creation of startling effects. There is a hint of charlatanism,
suggested by various ruses and recipes for paste gems. The two well known
works entered into the codex deal with magical properties ascribed to certain
gems and the supernatural significance of the carving of stones. Together
with these formal texts are found other extremely varied materials:
procedures for restoring wine which has suffered various accidents, for
making glass of different colors, for the early ripening of grapes, for
making an ass bray loudly, for frightening dogs, and so forth. MS 6 is one of
the manuscripts in the collection which provides an insight into the
interests of an individual, however shadowy he may be, who was attracted to
the alchemical and occult in fifteenth-century Italy. The dialect of the
Italian passages may suggest Venetian origin.