AN ALCHEMICAL COMPILATION OF THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY, A.D. 
59 
based. Both treatises (which are without doubt authentic) afford 
the clearest idea of the alchemical beliefs of Western Asia in the 9th 
and 10th Centuries A.D. 
(/) Dengthy extracts from a Treatise entitled T a‘ widhu-l-H akim and 
ascribed to the Fatimid Khalifa who ruled in Egypt from A.D 
996 — 1020. 
And (g) A short precis of practical alchemy by Ibn Sina, the well-known phil- 
osopher of the 10th Century. 
The work of preparing annotated translations of the more important of these 
treatises is proceeding, and we trust that their publication will not be long delayed. 
B. Analytic Index of the Contents of the MS. 
I. “The Treatise of Jamas Al-Haklm to Ardashlr the King, on the Hidden 
Secret : it is a wonderful treatise translated from Persian into Arabic 
(Folio 1 v., top, to f. 7 v., 1 . 10). Begins : “ From Jamas, the Sage, to Ardashlr, 
the King, crowned with wisdom. O God, I ask Thee for truth in word and deed, and 
for bestowal of complete grace and the gift of thankfulness. Know, O King,” etc 
The treatise is an explanatory discourse, similar in phraseology to several of the 
Greek treatises published by Berthelot in his Anciens Alchemistes Grecs, but clearer 
in its treatment. In the middle occurs a saying of Democritos in which he refers to 
Ostanes as his teacher. From internal evidence there can be little doubt that it is 
the treatise referred to on p. 354 of the Fihrist , nor is it improbable that the book 
actually dates from the time of Ardashlr. * 1 Haji Khalifa duly catalogues it in his 
Kashfu-dh-Dhuniin and quotes the first lines (Fliigel’s trans., Ill, p. 384, No. 6068). 
Ends : “I have explained to you, O King, the work of the Sages in its 
fulness, stating what none other has ever ventured to state, for which I fear 
I may be cursed in the Council of the Sages. And God is the dispenser of mercy 
and the giver of success, the liberal and generous ! 
“ Praise be to God alone, and His blessings be on Muhammad, His Prophet, and 
on his pure family. And God is our support and best protector! I have transcribed 
this treatise from a copy in the handwriting of the Master Mu’ayyidu-d-Dln 
Abu Ismafil Al-Husain ibn ‘All ibn Muhammad At-TughraT Al-Isfahanl. 2 May 
God sanctify his noble spirit ! I transcribed it letter by letter and finished copying 
1 Another example of an authentic Persian work dating from the early years of the Sassanian dynasty is Plant’s Shd- 
bicrqdn composed for Shapur ibn Ardashlr ( vide Al-Biriini’s Chronology of Ancient Nations , Sachau’s trans., p. 121). For 
the connexion between Ostanes and Democritos, vide p. 25 Note, infra. 
1 This is the Vizier of the Saljuq Sultan Mas'iid of Mosul, who, according to Ibnu-l-AtMr (BookX, Tornberg’s edi- 
tion, pp. 395 and 396) rebelled against his brother Mahmud of Hamadhau in 415 A.H. (=A.D. 1120), the same year in which 
At-Tughra’I became his Vizier. At-Tughra’I was put to death after being captured in a battle between the two sovereigns, 
the date, according to a contemporary historian As-Sam‘ani, being 515 A.H. (Ibn Khallikan, De Slane’s trans., I, 
pp. 462-464). He was then about 60 years old. Ibnu-l-Athir remarks that he was much given to alchemy and composed 
“ several alchemical works which have been the ruin of many.” Among these the chief one appears to have been the 
Haqd’ iqu-l-Istishhdd, in which he opposed the arguments of Ibn Sina (in the Shifd) that, as we do not know the specific 
differences between the metals, successful alchemy is impossible ( vide Ibn Khaldun — Prolegomena — De Slane's trans., Ill, 
