BOOKS OF SECRETS. 9 



But the outstanding book of Secrets of the earlier time is that ascribed 

 to Albertus Magnus and, curiously enough, it was the first book of the 

 kind which came into my possession. That copy is a quaint little 

 volume, printed at Lyons in 1566, and it contains the three tracts, 

 Secreta Mulierum, Liber Aggregationis, and De Mirabilibus Mundi. The 

 popularity of these tracts down to the eighteenth century is extraordinary. 

 Hain enumerates forty-six editions before 1500, and there are some 

 which have escaped his notice, such as those printed in London by 

 Machlinia, and an Italian translation of the Liber Aggregationis at Milan 

 in 1495. Many followed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, so 

 that as dealing with the secrets of generation, the properties of stones, 

 plants and animals, and the marvels of the universe, no book had such a 

 circulation in Europe. Whoever has given any attention to medieval 

 literature must have encountered it at some time or other. 



Intimately connected with it by subject, and often by publication, was 

 the analogous work De Physiognomia of the senior contemporary of 

 Albertus, Michael Scotus, round whom so much romance has been woven, 

 but a consideration of that book would involve a monograph so as to do 

 it and its author justice. 



After 1500 books on the present subject made their appearance 

 in greater abundance. Notable rarities are among them and many 

 printed in the earlier part of the sixteenth century are not devoid 

 of bibliographical attractions. Among those in English are many on 

 medicine, such as the editions of "The Treasure of pore men," "The 

 Myrrour or Glasse of helth," " The treasury of healthe," written by Petrus 

 Hispanus, afterwards Pope John XXI, and translated by Humfre Lloyde. 

 There were the works edited or translated by John Hester, "The JoyfuU 

 Jewell," "Secrets of Chirurgery," "The Excellence of Physick and 

 Chirurgery," "Three curious Pieces of Secrets," "The Order to distill 

 oyles," " The Key of Philosophic " ; Baker's " The Newe Jewell of 

 Health " ; Vicary's " Englishman's Treasure " ; " An Hospital for the 

 Diseased " ; "A Rich Store-house or Treasury for the Diseased " ; 



