^■"i S. No 62., Dec. 27. '66.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



501 



LONDON. SATURDdY, HECEMBER 27, 1866. 



flaXti, 



DESCRIPTION OF A CURIOUS ILLUMINATED MANU- 

 SCRIPT RELATING TO THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE. 



(^Concluded from p. 483.) 



Then comes a large gold head of the sun, issuing 

 from (what I presume are intended for) cloutJs. 

 On either side are scrolls, on which are these 

 lines : — 



" Like thy father that phehus soe bright 

 That sit soe highe in Maiestie 

 With liis beames that sliineth bright 

 In all pluses whereuer he bee 

 For he is father too All thinges 

 Maintainer of lyfe too crop and Boots 

 And causeth nature for too spring 

 Why the VifFe being sote 

 For he is salue too euery sore 

 To bringe aboute this precious worke 

 Take good heede into this lore 

 I say too lawes and too clarke 

 And Omogena is his name 

 Which God shaped with his hand 

 And Magnesia is his dame 

 Thou shalt verily vnderstand 

 Now I shall here Begine 

 For too teach the Redye waye 

 Or else little shalt thou weene 

 Take good heede what I saye." 



" Divide phebus in Manye partes 

 With his beames that be so bright 

 And this with nature them coarte 

 The which is Mother of all lyghte 

 This phebus hath full Many a name 

 Which is Now full hard too know 

 And but ye take the verye same 

 The phor's stone ye shall not know 

 Therefore I counsell ere ye begine 

 Know thou well what he bee 

 And that is thicke Make it thyn 

 For then it shall right well like the 

 Now vnderstand what I meane 

 And take good heede theretoo 

 Thy woork els shall litell seene 

 And turne to the full myckell wooe 

 As I have saide in this lore 

 Many a name I wisse be hath 

 Sum behinde and some before 

 As philosephers there him gaue." 



From the sun are falling flakes of red and white. 

 Beneath is a crowned and human-headed eagle 

 biting at its wing, and standing on a globe, co- 

 vered with waves, in which are stuck eight feathers, 

 each one labelled " Aquila Spr Ana." At the 

 foot of the globe is a scroll, with these words : 



" In the sea withouten lees 

 Stoude the Byrd of Hermes 

 Eating his winges variable 

 And maketh him selfe there full stable 

 When all his Virgis byre a gone 

 Hee stood still there as a stone 

 Here in sow both white and red 

 And allsoe the Stone too quicken the dead 



All and same without an fable 

 Both hard and neche and malliable 

 Vnderstand now well a right 

 And thacke God of this sight." 



Beneath these lines is a second scroll, on which 

 is written : " The Red Sea, The Red Soil. The 

 Red Elexir Vitse " And, beneath this, a third 

 scroll, inscribed: "the byrpb of hermes is Mr 



NAME EATING MY WINGS TO MAKE ME TAME." 



Beneath this is a golden circle, with golden and 

 black rays. In the circle are three balls — red, 

 white, and black — linked together and labelled, 

 " The white stone, the red stone, the Elixir vite." 

 Beneath this is the crescent moon, golden and 

 black, labelled " Luna Crescane." This is held in 

 the mouth of a dragon, whose twisted tail is also 

 passed through his mouth ; who stands upon a 

 winged globe, voiding over it crimson drops. On 

 the lower part of the globe are three black balls. 

 Beneath is a scroll, on which is written : 



" I shall now tell without leesinge 



How and what is my generation 

 Omogenie is my father 



And Magnesia is my mother 

 And Azocke truly is mj- syster 



And Rebirt forsooth is my brother 

 The serpent of Araby is my name 



The which is Leader of all this Game 

 That sumetime was woucle and wilde 



And now I am both meeke and milde 

 The sune and moone with their might 



Hath chased me that was so light 

 My winges that me braughte 



Hether and thether where I thought 

 And with tlieir might thej' downe pull 



And bringeth me whether they wall 

 The bloode of my harte I wisse 



Now causeth both ioye and blisse 

 And desolueth tlie verie stone 



And kniteth him or he hath done 

 Now maketh hard that was light 



Causeth him too ben fixte 

 Of my bloode and water I wisse 



Plentie in all the world there is 

 It renneth in euery place 



Who him finde might haue grace 

 In the world he renneth ouer all 



And goeth rounde as a balle 

 But thou vnderstand well this 



Of thy worke thou shallt misse 

 Therfore know ere thou begine 



What he is and all his kynn 

 Many a name he hath full suer 



And all is but on nature 

 Thou must part him a three 



And them knit as the trinitie 

 And make them all three but one 



Loe here is the philosephers stone." 



Beneath this scroll is another, on which is 

 written, — 



" In the name of the Trinitie 



Harke here and ye shall see 

 Myne Author that formith this warke 



Both first last breye and darke 

 Some of them I shall you tell 



Both in Rime and in spell . 



