Pseuds-Aristoteles

Secretum Aristotelis et philosophia occulta. Written in a rounded gothic hand 20-22 lines to a page. Capitals, headings, paragraph marks and underlinings in red. On fol. 9 is a rough pen-drawing of a still [?].

Fol. 1 Secretum Aristotilis et phylosophia occulta.//Aristotiles subtilissimus rerum in/uestigator ex principiis na/turalibus in hoc suo secreto/quod Albertus postmodum occultam intytulat phylosophiam... 34v ... Iste sunt/Examinationes quas perfectiores inuenies/in Summa Geberi quasi in fine eiusdem./Et sic est finis huiusque Secreti per cuius compilationem legen/tes et intelligentes micture [?] in corpore et essentie essentiarum/actiones referant multiformers./Deo gratia eiusque miseratione.

Mid 15th Century

1 volume 34 ll. 8vo. 14 x 10 cm. On vellum. 18th cent. calf binding, damaged. Lower corner and margin of the first leaf, and the lower corners of leaves 2-7 cut away. The last line is badly rubbed.

Purchased 1923.

This work has been entered as by 'Pseudo-Aristoteles', and has not been identified with any recorded alchemical tract, though it is certainly a late production, and perhaps belongs to the period of the 'Lullian Collection' as described by Thorndike in Vol. IV of his History of Magic and Experimental Science.

This material has been digitised and can be freely accessed online through Wellcome Collection catalogue.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).