Beschreibung:

Collectanea Chymica; A collection of ten several treatises in chymistry, concerning the liquor alkahest, the mercury of philosophers, and other curiosities worthy the perusal Author: Place: London Publisher: Printed for William Cooper Date: 1684 Description: [6], 193, [4], 32, 16 pp. (8vo) 15.2x8.8 cm (6x3½"), modern calf, new endpapers. Rare work printing ten treatises, each with its separate title page. The treatises are by important authors, including Eirenaeus Philaletha; J.B. Van Helmont; George Ripley; Roger Bacon; and George Starkey. The Roger Bacon treatise “Speculum Alchymiae” printed here appears to differ in content from the 1597 first English edition of this text (the 1597 edition titled “The Mirror of Alchemy”). In this copy, the tenth treatise, “The Tomb of Semiramis,” is followed by a short tractate not called for in the table of contents, entitled “George Starkey’s Pill Vindicated”, which Duveen (p.140) calls “excessively rare” (e.g., not present in Ferguson copy). Only three copies in OCLC have this final tractate, the Huntington Library, University of Illinois, and the Princeton Theological Seminary. There is occasional early ink marginalia. Wing C5103 (for first nine treatises) The complete contents are: (1) "Arcanum liquoris immortalis ignis-aquæ" by Eirenaeus Philatethes (2) "The practice of lights: or an excellent and ancient treatise on the Philosophers Stone" (3) "Praecipiolum" by Jean Baptiste van Helmont (4) "Aurum-potabile", attributed to Francis Anthony, and probably drawn from his "Medicinae chymicae, et veri potabilis auri assertio" (5) "A treatise of Bernard Earl of Trevisan, of the philosophers stone", a translation of "De lapide philosophorum" (6) "The bosome-book of Sir George Ripley" (7) "Speculum alchymiæ" by Roger Bacon (8) "The admirable efficacy, and almost incredible virtue of true oyl, which is made o sulphur-vive, set on fire, and called commonly oyl of sulphur per campanam" by George Starkey (9) "Sundry new, and artificial remedies against famine" by Sir Hugh Platt [each of the above have separate title page dated 1683; pagination and register are continuous. (10) "The tomb of Semiramis hermetically sealed" (Wing D24) has separate pagination, register, and title page dated 1684. Within this register: (11) "George Starkey's Pill vindicated" (Wing S5283) has separate pagination, and caption title. Items 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 were originally published separately. Lot Amendments Condition: Title page and final leaf with margins darkened (from earlier leather binding) and edges slightly chipped; very good. Item number: 293656