Untitled alchemical treatise ذومقراطيس Democritus [‎58r] (2/18)

Content

An introduction to the principles of alchemy spuriously ascribed to Democritus. This Democritus is not the atomist philosopher of Abdera, but the Greek alchemical authority of the same name, sometimes equated with Bolos of Mendes. The text’s style and content suggest that it is not, in fact, a Greek, pre-Islamic text translated into Arabic. The lower half of fol. 57b and the whole of 58a are taken up by tabulated descriptions of the four elements, and the remaining text is divided into three sections ( maqālāt ):

• Section 1 (ff. 57v line 1 - 59r, line 10) describes a progression of the 4 elements from the grossest (earth) to the most refined (fire) and this progression with that of the 4 seasons;
• Section 2 (fols. 59a, line 10 - 64a, line 7) deals with the unity of matter; the formation of the microcosm out of opposing forces; the relationship between chemical substances and the four elements and other subjects;
• Section 3 (ff. 64r, line 7 - 66r, end) is divided into seven parts ( abwāb ), each one describing a chemical procedure.

The text was copied in the middle of Rajab 925 AH (mid-July AD 1519) at Damascus by Qudrat Allāh al-Marandī al-Ādharī (see colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. , f. 66r).

Begins (f. 57v, lines 2-5):

قال الحكيم ذومقراطيس إنّه ينبغي لمن طلب هذه الحكمة أنْ يعرف الأركان التي وُضِعَتْ

عليها والأجناس والطبائع والألوان والائتلاف والبعث والثبات والقرابات

والملائمة والمخالفة والتعادي والطعوم والتمازيج والهئات والدفاع وتزويج الأركان

وتركيب الأجناس ثم يضع يده بعد ذلك الصناعةَ المكرّمةَ ...

Ends (f. 66r, lines 15-19):

... هذه المنازل السبعة قد أفصحت بها جهدي وبالله الذي

إليه معاد كلّ شيء ما كتمتُ أهلَ العلم من أصل هذا الحجر شيئًا ولا من منازل تدبيره

وما أرجو أنْ يكون قد وضح لأهل العلم والرأي ومَن أراد الله إفهامه وعميت

ذلك على أهل الجهل والنقص والدين (sic) وأنا أوصي مَن طلب هذا العلم

أنْ لا يستخف بهذا الكتاب

Colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. (f. 66r, lines 19-22):

... تم الكتاب بحمد الله تعالى

وحسن توفيقه على يدي العبد قدرة الله المرندي الأذري

في أوساط شهر رجب سنة ٩٢٥

بدمشق المحروسة

وصلواته على نبيه سيدنا محمد

وآله وصحبه أجمين

Extent and format

ff. 57v-66r

Physical characteristics

Material: Paper

Dimensions: 215 x 150 mm leaf [168 x 112 mm written]

Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; Arabic foliation in the purple crayon typical of Lebanese bookdealers of the 19th century

Ruling: Misṭarah ; 19 lines per page; vertical spacing 11 lines per 10 cm (ff. 113r-158v: 29 lines per page; vertical spacing 17 lines per 10 cm)

Script: Naskh with nasta‘līq tendencies and some titles in thuluth (ff. 113r-158v: naskh )

Scribes: Qudrat Allāh al-Marandī al-Ādharī (ff. 3r-112v) and Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Mawṣilī (ff. 113r-158v)

Ink: Black ink, with rubricated, yellow and green headings and overlinings in red (ff. 113r-158v: black)

Binding: British Museum binding

Condition: Some worm damage, foxing, and tears towards the fore edge. Folios 19, 21 and 24 have been replaced.

Marginalia: Extensive marginal corrections, conjectures, glosses in Arabic and Persian and other evidence of collation and textual study (ff. 113r-158v: very few)

Written in

Arabic in Arabic script

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