79 



we have already alluded. It belonged to the 

 library of the Speciale family in Palermo, and has 

 been made the subject of an interesting monograph 

 by Carini. 1 No. 44 of this manuscript is entitled 

 Liber Magistri Miccaelis Scotti in quo continetur 

 Magisterium. The term Magisterium, or supreme 

 secret of art, would seem to carry with it a certain 

 reference to Aristotle, *D Maestro di color che 

 sanno/ as Dante calls him. 2 Curious as the appear- 

 ance of such a name in connection with alchemy 

 may seem to us, it is certain that Aristotle held 

 a high place in the chemical traditions of the 

 Middle Ages. The Meteora afforded a text which 



O 



lent itself readily to large commentaries by the 

 Arabian chemists. The tract De Minercdibus, 

 which we noticed when speaking of Al Kindi, was 

 one of these commentaries, and it is easy to see how 

 it became confused with the text which it illustrated 

 so as in time to be considered the work of Aristotle 

 I himself. This, we may believe, was the ground on 

 'which so many alchemical works were afterwards 

 published under the same mighty name. 3 An in- 

 teresting example appears in the Speciale collection 

 itself which contains the following title : Liber 

 perfect i Magisterii Aristotelis qui incipit cum studii 

 solertis indigere.* The treatise Cum studii is also 

 found in the Paris manuscript, 5 where it is ascribed 

 ; ,to Rases. To the school of Rases then we are 



1 See the note to p. 75 supra. - Inf. iv. 131, 



3 In the Theatrum of Zetzner there is a tract : ' Aristoteles de per- 



I'ecto Magisterio,' and the Bibl. Naz. of Florence has a MS., ' De Tribus 



iiferbis,' ascribed to the same author. 



* Sic pro indagine, v. cod. xvi. 142 of the Bibl. Naz. Florence, where 

 I his treatise is given to Alfidius, i.e. Al Kindi. In it occur the significant 

 Isrords : ' est (alchimia) de ilia parte physice quae Metheora nuncupatur.' 



* No. 6514. 



