1597 · The Mirror of Alchimy
Attributed to Roger Bacon, with tracts attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, Hortulanus and Khalid ibn Yazid · 1597
The Mirror of Alchimy
Printed in London in 1597, The Mirror of Alchimy is one of the first alchemical books published in English. Its title piece, the Speculum alchemiae ascribed to Roger Bacon, defines alchemy and explains the matter, fire, vessels, colours and projection of the elixir in seven short chapters. It is followed by the Emerald or Smaragdine Table of Hermes with the medieval commentary of Hortulanus, the Book of the Secrets of Alchemy ascribed to the Umayyad prince Khalid ibn Yazid (here 'Galid the son of Iazich'), and an English version of Bacon's letter on the secret works of art and nature. The anonymous translation is given in the EEBO-TCP transcription; the damaged title page has small gaps.
Contents
- 1.Title page and preface167 w.
- 2.The Mirror of Alchimy (attributed to Roger Bacon)3,737 w.
- 3.The Smaragdine Table of Hermes, with the commentary of Hortulanus2,542 w.
- 4.The Book of the Secrets of Alchimie, by Calid the son of Iazich, part 1 of 23,473 w.
- 5.The Book of the Secrets of Alchimie, by Calid the son of Iazich, part 2 of 23,201 w.
- 6.Of the admirable force and efficacy of Art and Nature (Roger Bacon), part 1 of 24,145 w.
- 7.Of the admirable force and efficacy of Art and Nature (Roger Bacon), part 2 of 25,083 w.