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Keynes MS. 28, King's College Library, Cambridge University

Author: Isaac Newton
Title: Hermes
Contents: From the Newton Project Catalogue: f. 2r-v 'Tabula Smaragdina Hermetis Trismegistri [sic] Philosophorum patris': English translation of the Tabula Smaragdina followed by references to the 'ffrench Bibliotheque' [i.e. Bibliothèque des philosophes (1672-8): see notes to the previous entry] and Zetzner's Theatrum Chemicum. f. 6r 'Hermes Trismegisti opera Chemica./ Tabula Smaragdina': the same passage in Latin. ff. 6v-7r 'Commentarium': Latin notes on the above. (ff. 1r and 5r both have the heading 'Hermes' but no text: according to Dobbs these were originally cover sheets for what are now the English sections of Keynes Mss. 27 and 28; the other leaves are blank.)
Physical Description: 
Keynes 28 consists of two booklets. The first is made up of a single sheet, slit and folded like CU add. 3973; the second consists of three half-sheets, folded laterally and inserted one inside the other (Sheet 1 = folios 1–4; Sheet 2 = folios 5 and 10; Sheet 3 = folios 6 and 9; Sheet 4 = folios 7 and 8).
Sheet 1 is written in fairly large hand (1r = 25lines) in medium brown ink. Sheet 2 is written in a slightly smaller hand (1r = 29 lines) in medium brown ink.
Folios 1r and 4v are quite dirty.
Measurements
  • Sheet 1: 359 x 298 mm (vertical x horizontal).
  • Sheet 2: 195 x 300 mm.
  • Sheet 3: 195 x 300 mm.
  • Sheet 4: 194 x 300 mm.
Watermarks
  • Sheet 1: English Royal Arms and "A I" with "G L C" countermark.
  • Sheet 2: Countermark "I R" (half-sheet).
  • Sheet 3: Countermark "I R" (half-sheet).
  • Sheet 4: Countermark "I R" (half-sheet).

Languages: Latin

Custodial History:  From the Newton Project Catalogue: Bought at the Sotheby sale by Maggs Brothers for £10 and sold to Keynes on 19 August 1936 for the original price plus 20%. Described in the Sotheby catalogue as '3½ pp.', presumably meaning 3½ written leaves, since all three parts of the document are listed there.

Physical Location: Keynes MS. 28, King's College Library Cambridge University Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

Electronic Publication: Keynes MS. 28.  Published June 2010, Indiana University Bloomington, IN.

Transcriber/Encoder: id="johajohn">John A. Johnson
General Editor: William R. Newman

Preferred Citation: 
Isaac Newton. "Keynes MS. 28". The Chymistry of Isaac Newton. Ed. William R. Newman June 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from: http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/newton/ALCH00017.
                    Hermes.                                                            8 1
                              10

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2
Tabula Smaragdina
Hermetis Trismegistri
Philosophorum patris
Tis true without lying, certain & most true.
That wch is below is like that wch is above & that wch
is above is like yt wch is below to do ye miracles of one
only thing
And as all things have been & arose from one by ye
mediation of one: so all things have their birth from this
one thing by adaptation.
The Sun is its father, the moon its mother, the wind
hath carried it in its belly, the earth is its nourse. The
father of all perfection in ye whole world is here. Its
force or power is entire if it be converted into earth.
Separate thou ye earth from ye fire, ye subtile from
the gross sweetly wth great indoustry. It ascends from ye
earth to ye heaven & again it descends to ye earth
& receives ye force of things superior & inferior.
By this means you shall have ye glory of ye whole
world & thereby all obscurity shall <illeg.> fly from you.
Its force is above all force. ffor it vanquishes every
subtile thing & penetrates every solid thing.
So was ye world created.
From this are & do come admirable adaptations where
of ye means caret insertion point(or process) is here in this.
Hence I am called Hermes Trismegist, having the
three parts of ye philosophy of ye whole world
That wch I have said of ye operation of ye Sun
is accomplished & ended.
See ye ffrench Bibliotheque. Theatrum Chemicum vol. 6. p.715.
& vol 1 p 362 et p 8 et p 166 caret insertion point& p 685 et vol 4 p 497
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3
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MS 28
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4
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                              MS 28
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5
                    9
               Hermes.
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Hermetis Trismegisti
Opera Chemica.
6
Tabula Smaragdina.
Verum est sine mendacio, certum et verissimum. Quod
est inferius est sicut id quod est superius et quod est superius
est sicut id quod est inferius ad perpetranda miracula rei
unius. Et sicut res omnes fuerunt ab uno meditatione
et consilio unius: ita omnes res nascuntur ab hac una
re adaptione. Pater ejus est sol. Mater ejus est Luna
Portavit illum Ventus in ventre suo, Nutrix ejus est
Terra. Pater omnis perfectionis totius mundi est hic. Vis
ejus est integra si versa fuerit in terram. Separabis
terram ab igne, subtile a spisso suaviter magno cum
diligentia et ingenio. Ascendit a terra in cælum iter-
ume123 descendit in terram & recipit vim superiorum
& inferiorum. Sic habebis gloriam totius mundi et fugiet<illeg.>
a te tenabræ et omnis obscuritas. Hæc est enim totius
fortitudinis fortitudo fortis. Nam vincet omnem rem
subtilem omnene123 solidam penetrabit. Sic Mundus crea-
tus est. Hinc erunt adaptiones mirabiles quarum modus
est hic. Itae123 vocatus sum Hermes Trismegistus habens
tres partes philosophiæ totius mundi. Completum est quod
dixi de <illeg.>opere solari.
Commentarium.
‡ <in mg:>a ‡ Quæ sequuntur verissima sunt. Inferius et superius,
fixum et volatile, sulphur et argentum vivum similem
habent naturam et sunt una res ut vir et uxor.
Nam solo digestionis et maturitatis gradu differunt ab in-
vicem. Sulphur est argentum vivum maturum, et argentum
vivum
vivum est sulphur immaturum; caret insertion pointet propter hanc affinitatem adeoe123 coeunt ut mas &
fæmina et agunt in se invicem caret insertion pointet per actionem illam transmutantur in se mutuo & prolem nobiliorem g<enerant> ad perpetranda miracula
hujus rei unius.   Et sicut res omnes ex uno Chao
per consilium Dei unius creatæ sunt, sic in arte nostra
res omnes id est elementa quatuor ex una hac re quæ
nostrum Chaos est per consilium Artificis & pruden-
tem rerum dispositionem adaptionem nascuntur.     Est
et ejus generatio humanæ similis, nimirum ex patre
& matre qui sunt Sol et Luna. Et quando per ho-
rum coitum Infans concipitur, pertatu<illeg.> gestatur is
in ventre venti nostri Draconis venti. Terræ foliatæ ad use123 nativitatis horam, &
post nativitatem nutritur ad ubera caret insertion pointlatonæ dealbatae Terræ caret insertion pointalbæ foliatæ Terræ fo nostræ cum
lacte virginali donec adolescat. caret insertion pointHic Draco ventus ventus est balneum. Solis et Lunæ, <illeg.>Mercurius <illeg.> Draco et Ignis qui tertio
loco succedit ut operis gubernator: et Latona caret insertion pointterra nutrix est Latona abluta et foliata
alba vel rubea & mundificata, quam utie123 Ægyptij pro Dianæ et Apollinis id est
tincturæ albæ et rubræ nutrice habuere. Fons - - - -
Fons omnis perfectio-
nis totius mundi est hic. Vis <illeg.>et efficacia ejus
est integra si versa fuerit in terra & perfecta si per
decoctionem ad rubedinem et multiplicationem & fermen
tationem vertatur in terram fixam. Debet autem prius
mundificari separando elementa suaviter et paulatim
abse123 violentia & faciendo ut materia tota per sub-
limationem ascendat in cælum, ac deinde per subli-
mationis reiterationem descendat in terram : qua ratione
acquiret et vim penetrantem naturam tam spiritus ab subli & vim fixam
corporis. Sic habebis gloriam totius mundi et fugiet a te omnis obscuritas et omnis inopia et ægritudo. claritate
summa fulgebis. Nam hæc res ubi per solutionem &
congelationem ascenderit in cælum et descenderit in terre100
evadet omnium rerum fortissima. Vincet enim & coagu
labit omnem rem subtilem et omnem solidam penetrabit
ac tinget. Et quemadmodum mundus ex Chao tenebroso
per lucis productionem caret insertion pointcreatus fuit et per & separationem firmamenti aerei
et aquarum a terra, creatus fuit creatus fuit sic opus nostrum ex
Chao te<illeg.>nigro & materia sua prima per separationem
elementorum et illuminationem materiæ originem
ducit. Vnde oriuntur adaptiones et dispositiones mirabiles
in opere nostro quarum modus est hîc in mundi creatione
adumbratus.
adumbratus. Ob hanc artem vocor mercurius ter maximus
habens tres partes philosophiæ totius mundi, ut significetur       7
Mercurius philosophorum qui ex substantijs tribus fortissimis
componitur habete123 corpus animam et spiritum & est mine-
ralis vegetabilis et animalis & in regno minerali vegeta-
bili et animali dominatur.
Annotationes.
a Avicenna in caret insertion pointcap. 4 Tractatuli sui<illeg.> caret insertion pointqui extat in Artis Auriferæ vol.1.p.268.
Senior in Th. Ch. v. 5. p. 222.
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8
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9
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