ON THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD CHEMISTRY. 75 



I may also take this opportunity to correct two numeri- 

 cal errors in the sixth volume of the Society's Memoirs. 

 Page 262, line 3^ for 3*2 read 2*2 ; and on page 264^ hne 2, 

 for 15 read 50. 



IX. On the Origin of the Word "Chemistry ." 

 By Carl Schorlemmer^ F.R.S. 



Read November 18th, 1879. 



Chemistry as a science is first mentioned"^ by Julius 

 Maternus Firmicus^ a native of Sicily^ and procurator under 

 Constantine the Great. He wrote^ about a.d. 336_, a work 

 on Astrology^ which has been preserved only in a defective 

 state^ and is commonly known by the name of ' Mathesis.' 



In this work he states that by observing the position of 

 the moon^ in respect to certain heavenly bodies or con- 

 stellations_, at the hour when a child is born^ its future 

 inclinations can be predicted. He continues: — " Et si 

 fuerit haec domus Mercurii, astronomiam. Si Veneris, 

 cantilenas et laetitiam. Si Martis, opus armorum et 

 instrumentorum. Si Jovis, divinum cultum et scientiam 

 in lege. Si Saturni, scientiam alchimiae. Si Solis, pro- 

 videntiam in quadripedibus. Si in Cancro domus sua, 

 scientiam dabit omnium quae exeunt de aqua ''f. 



Other editions of this work have also " scientia alchi- 

 miae ^'X; but Vossius informs us that in the manuscripts it 



* Kopp, Beitrage zur Geschichte der Chemie, p. 43. 

 t Julius Firmicus de nativitatibus. Ed. Simon Bcvilaqua : Venice, 1497. 

 X Ed. Aldus Manutius, Venice, 1499 ; Ed. Nicolaus Brucknerus, Bale, 

 1533- 



