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The Turba Philosophorum

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The Turba Philosophorum A L CH EM Y TH E TU RB A P H I LO SO P H O R U M A S S EM BLY O F T H E S A G ES CALLED ALSO TH E BOOK OF TR UTH I N TH E ART AND TH ETH I RD PYT H AGOR I CAL SYNO D M R D F M F AN ANCIENT ALCHE ICAL T EATISE TRANSLATE RO THE LATIN , THE CHIE D G O F D X P F RO M T HE G K REA IN S THE SHORTER CO E , ARALLELS REE M A N D X P O P B U M ALCHE ISTS, E LANATIONS O SC RE TER S ARTH U R EDW AR D W AI TE TRANSLATOR 01? T HE H ERM E’I ‘ I C A N D ALCHEM ICAL wn rr m cs " O F PARACELS US. I onbon GEO RG E R ED W AY PREFACE. _:o E Tur a i dis u tab th e TH b P hilosophomm is n p ly mo st a n cient extan t trea tise o n Alch emy in ‘ th e L a tin t o n u e b u t it w a s n o t so far as ca n g , , b e a sce t ain d o i in a w itten in L atin th e r e , r g lly r co m i e o r edito fo r in ma n s cts it can p l r r, y re pe sca ce b e a ded a s an o ri i a co m o sitio n r ly reg r g n l p , w o t e eith e in H b ew o r abic h o weve t h e r r e r Ar ; r, wo n o t o a t th e esen t d a bu t seemin rk , nly pr y , gly d u rin g th e six o r seven cent u ries wh en it wa s qu o ted a s a n a u th o rity by all t h e a lch emica l ade t s h as b e n fa mi ia o n in it s L ati a b . p , e l r ly n g r I t is n o t o f co u se c t a i th at th e o i in a , r , er n r g l is irretrievab o st th e abic an d S ia c ly l , Ar yr m an u scripts trea tin g o f early ch emistry a re preserved in co n sidera ble n u mb ers in th e va rio u s ib a ies o f Eu o e a n d h a ve o n l r r r p , ly b n im rfect o d . U n fo t u n ate ee pe ly expl re r ly , t h e presen t edito r h a s neith er th e o ppo rtu n ity n o r t h e qu a lifica tio n s fo r u n derta kin g su ch a t ask . Th ere a re two co dices o r recen sio n s o f Th e Turbo P hiloso homm wh ich diff co n side ab p , er r ly f o m o n e n h W h at is ca e in h r a o t er . ll d t e fo o win a es th e s co d cen sio n is ll g p g e n re , a reciab sh o rte c ea a n d o n t h e wh o pp ly r, l rer , , le , th e ess co u t o f th e two b u t th e a re b o th l rr p , y 2094035 ii . P a c ref e. in a b a Th n c n sio n h a s been d st at e . e lo ger re e ch o sen fo r th e t ext o f th e fo o win t an s a tio n ll g r l , beca u se it seemed desira ble to give t h e w o rk in I t s enti et Th e va iatio n s o f th e seco n d r y . r ecen sio n a re a en ded u su a in fo o t - n o tes r pp lly , b u t wh ere th e rea din g o f th e t ext is so co rru pt a s t o b e u ite u n tra n s a tab e th e edito h a s q l l , r o cca sio n a lly su b stit u t ed th a t o f th e alt ern a t ive e th e versio n , a n d h a s in mo st ca ses in dicat d co u se u su ed r p r . ’ M o n sieu r B erth elo t s inva lu able t ext a n d tra n slatio n o f th e Byz a n tin e Alch emists h a s b een a e m a de u se o f to i u stra t t h e l rg ly , ll e strikin g analo gies b etween th e Greek H e rmetic writers o f th e fo u rth cen tu ry a n d th e Tu rb a . I t is t o th is grea t sch o lar a n d scien tist th at we o we th e disco ve o f th ese a n a o ies so m o f ry l g , e wh ich a re very clearly in dicated in a ch a pt er d vo t ed t o th e su b ct an d fo min e je , r g pa rt o f h is “ Essa i su r la Tra n smissio n de ” a i c I t l S c en e An tiqu e a u M o yen Age . ' fo o ws f o m M th e o t s esea ch es th at ll r . Ber l r r , L atin ch em wh ich h a s a wa s b een Al y, l y i h t efe ed to a n a bia n so u ce r g ly r rr Ar r , co n nects with th e Greek Alch emy wh ich ceded abia n S cien ce beca u se pre Ar , th e a tte wa s it s f de ived fro m reece W e l r el r G . a re a so en ab ed t o iden tif fo r t h e fi st t im e l l y , r , a n d th at with erfect certa int th o n ien p y, se a c t sa s to wh o m all th e L atin ite a u ma ge , l r t re kes P iii. reface. requ en t a n d reverent allu sio n ; we n o w kno w th at t h e are Z o sim u s th e P a n o o lit e y , p , th e a d ts o f th e sch o o o f D mo critu s a n d th e ep l e , o th er writers preserved in th e Byz an tine co llec t io n . M . th e o t h o w eve infers th at t h e Ber l , r, Greek in fl u en ce fo u n d in The Turba P hiloso horum w a s n o t a di ct infl u c b u t p re en e, w a s derived media t ely t h ro u gh ch an nel s wh ich a re n o w u n kn o wn I n a n y ca se ’ th e Tu rb a su mm a rises th e a u th o r s precedi n g G ebe a n d is th erefo e th e m o st va u a b a s r, r l le, it is t h e m o st a n cien t t eatis o n ch e m , r e Al y , h i h i in h a w c ex st s t e L atin l a n gu ge . Th e ch ief printed versio n s o f The Turba P hilo so kom m a re th o se o f th e Th eat u m Ch e mi p , r cu m t h e “ b io th ca Ch emica Cu io sa a n d , B i l e r , t h at o f th e sma ller co ll ectio n en titled Art is Th ere a re so m e t ra n sla Au riferae Tra ct a t u s .
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