The Oldest Alchemical Manuscript in the Czech Language

NOTES AND REFERENCES

• The sources on Czech alchemy are scarce, the majority of them being written in the Czech language. The most recent book is V. H. Matula, Hledcini kamene mudrch (The search for the Philosophers' Stone), 1948. Other works are: K. Pejml, Déjiny &ski alchymie (The history of Czech alchemy), 1933; O. Zachar, O alchymii a '6eskich alchymistech (On alchemy and Czech alchemists), 1911. A few data can be found in an encyclopedical work by L. Nov y et al., aijiny exaktnich véd v Eeskfch zemich (The history of the exact sciences in Bohemian countries), Prague, 1961. A brief survey of an older Czech alchemy appeared recently: P. Vigner, "Prispévek ke stargim déjinam Ceské chemie" (A contribution to the earlier history of Czech chemistry), Dèfiny véd a techniky xry (1984) 97. A traditional source is a German book by A. WranY, Geschichte der Chemie and der auf chemischer Grundlage beruhenden Betriebe in Bahmen us zur Mitte des 19.Jahrhunderts, Prag, 1902.
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• Originals of both manuscripts are lost, but a German translation appeared in a collection entitled Drei vortreffliche chymische Biicher des Johann Ticinensis, eines bahmischen Priesters, Antonii Abbatia, eines der Kunst erfahrenen Mensch and Eduardi Kelliii, eines weltberiihmten Englanders, Tractate, Hamburg, 1670.
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• Some details of the remaining parts of the MS III H ii are described in: V. Karpenko, "Greek Fire in a Czech Alchemical Manuscript", Centaurus, 30 (1987) 240.
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• O. Zachar, Cesta spravedlivii v alchymii mistra Antonia z Florencie (The Rightfull Way in Alchemy of Master Antonius of Florence), Praha, 1899.
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• Some details about this personality are given by H. Kopp: Die Alchemie in alterer and neuerer Zeit, G. Olms, Hildesheim, 1971, Vol. I, p. 160, and by WranY (ref. t). Both authors use the older transcription of the name "Laaz", while the short "Laz" is preferred in the modern Czech literature.
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• in Theatrum C'hemicum, Argentorati, 1659, Vol. IV, p. 579.
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• This story appeared in the introduction to Fr, Basilii Valentini Chymische Schriften . . ., Hamburg, 1740.
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• Sigismund of Luxembourg (1368–1437), the son of Charles IV, 1433 Holy Roman Emperor, 1436 Bohemian king. (He was crowned king in 1419 after the death of his brother Wenceslaus IV, but the Hussite wars delayed the exercise of his rule in Bohemia).
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• Through all this paper square brackets will be used for remarks and notes of the present author in the citations from the originals. References to folios are according to the MS V H 21.
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• In the manuscript this name is written Anthony, while the correct Czech is Antonin.
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• Vlach (or Wallach) is a term related to Old High German "Valach" and Celtic "wealch" with the original meaning "foreigner": hence Welshman. During the Early Middle Ages this word was transferred to the Balkans, to the region where Romance dialects were used. Since that time the word "Vlach" denoted generally people living in the Southeast of Europe. In the medieval Czech language, however, this original meaning narrowed, implying Italians from the northern parts of Italy (for this information thanks are due to Dr. M. Kuncovi, Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University).
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• Kutnal Hora, approx. 7o km to the east from Prague, became important through silver mines. A royal mint was built here by the King Václav (Wenceslaus) 11 1271-1305.
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• Aus dem Sagenschatz des Harzes, Halberstadt, 1968, Teil. II, FL 43.
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• Transcription of German mass unit Pfund, in Bohemia approx. o,5 r kg. The author sometimes used the phonetical transcription "funt".
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• In Czech transcription "sal nitrum" was written "sanytr" or "sanitr".
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• T. H. Chilton, Strong Water: Nitric Acid: Sources, Methods of Manufacture, and Uses, The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1968, p. 14.
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• Loth and mark were mass units; the Bohemian loth equaled 16,06 g, the Viennese loth, used in Bohemia as well, was 57,50g. Mark is the German expression for the old Czech "hiivna", a mass unit varying between 238 to 257 g. In the driginal MS V H 21 the Czech word "hiivna" is used, with the genitive in the plural: "hiiven".
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• The transmuting power of the tincture is in MS V H 21 described on fol. 59/60: ". .. but thou knowst that one loth will make a thousand loths of gold (60) or silver and these thousands will make three thousands and [?] tinge so long as every first loth will bring a hundred loth and so will the tincture in a correct mass be in redness or whiteness. One loth in number tinges five thousand hfiven and forty hfiven" (for "hiiven" see ref. 17).
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• ".. . take sixteen loth of Crocum martys, Take crocum veneris XXIIII loth or Take crocum martys VIII loth, Take crocum veneris XVI loth, . . ." (fol. 8r).
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• This proportion is approx. r : o, (48 g Au: 510 g Hg), but in practice the amount of mercury was lower due to losses in previous heating.
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• This statement indicates that Anthony was dead at that time, which at least situates his life roughly in the first half of the r5th century.
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• Fol. 107 is the end of MS III H ii.
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• This description corresponds fairly well with the MS V H 21.
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• As the fourth way, obviously the whitening of copper by arsenic compounds is meant, but this process is not named "way" in the original manuscript.
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• This quantitative value is on fol. 59/60 (see ref. 18).
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• Traa was a member of Bohemian nobility. His name as well, as the following one of a certain Kalivoda from Prague, appear in the recipes of the MS III H ii, but nothing can be said about any of them.
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• The original MS V H 21 bears no visible traces of scratching.
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• The whole passage from the words "A mineral . . ." is typical for parables used for description of the Philosophers' Stone. Here, however, several other terms appear, not easy to decipher. Diana stands usually for silver, a dove for mercury; is Diana's dove perhaps "mercury of silver"? Similarly "vitroil" did not always denote sulphates, but was used as an acrostic as well. The green lion was used to symbolize copper, or ferrous sulphate (excluded in the text: "not vitriolum"), the most probable being then materia prima. The red lion was mostly used as a symbol of the red tincture; Salamander for the Stone. Electrum was obviously used with a similar meaning. For detailed consultation see M. P. Crosland, Historical Studies in the Language of Chemistry, Heinemann, London, 1962; W. Schneider, Lexikon alchemistisch-pharmazeutischer Symbole, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 1962.
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• This information enables one to date this manuscript. Leopold I (1640-1705) became Bohemian and Hungarian king in 1657, and Holy Roman Emperor a year later.
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• Brno, the town to the southeast from Prague, now in Czechoslovakia; Sopron, in the same direction, now in Hungary.
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