Beschreibung:

De secretis naturae sie quinta essentia libri duo. His accesserunt, Alberti Magni... De mineralibus & rebus metallicis libri quinq[ue], [edited by Walther Ryff], 1st edition, Strasbourg, Balthasar Beck, 1541, [4] + 183 + [4] leaves, with 8 woodcut illustrations to text of chemical apparatus (one of which is full-page), without blank leaf at end, title relined and with slight loss of blank fore-edge and foot of inner margin, early two-tone blind-decorated French full calf, with gilt coat-of-arms of an unidentifid French bishop to upper cover, 8vo Provenance: Alfred Scott Gatty (1847-1918), with gift inscription to him dated 1882 to front blank, when he was Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms In Ordinary, and with his bookplate to front pastedown. B. E. J. Pagel (1930-2007), astrophysicist, with his handwritten label tipped-in to verso of front endpaper. Duveen 369. Wellcome 3897. Ferguson II, 54. Thorndike II, 862-873 & 517-592. Adams L1703. Rare first edition of Strasbourg physician Walther Herman Ryff's presentation of alchemical tracts. The attribution to Lull of De Secretis Naturae is disputed (generally now accepted as pseudo-Lull) but it was a standard work in early modern alchemy. With it is published Albertus Magnus' De Mineralibus & Rebus Metallicis, on metals and minerals with essays on stones, gold and silver, the assaying of metals, their colours, on nitre, salt, lead and other substances and their properties. The tract by Albertus Magnus belongs to the authentic writings of this author. Thorndike devotes much space to a thorough analysis of this remarkable work and points out the stress laid by Albertus on personal investigation and experiment.Lull's metaphysics worked a revolution in the history of philosophy. He invented an "art of finding truth" which centuries later stimulated Leibnitz' dream of a universal algebra, and the development of modern scientific method. (1)