Keynes MS.

31, King's College Library, Cambridge University

Author: Isaac Newton

Title: Liber Mercurioum Corporum
Contents: From the Newton Project Catalogue: Seven pages of alchemical recipes followed by a table of (al)chemical symbols.
Clearly not Newton's own composition though the source(s) has/have not been identified.
Physical Description:

Keynes 31 consists of 2 half-sheets, folded and one inserted within the other.

Measurements

Sheet 1: 197 x 312 mm. (vertical x horizontal).

Sheet 2: 197 x 313 mm.
Watermarks

Sheet 1: No apparent watermarks.

Sheet 2: Large, hard to make out crowned Arms of Amsterdam. There is an attendant mark. Dangling from the bottom of the shield is a
letter, probably an "F" (but possibly an "A"), beneath which is a "B". No other watermarks. Same or similar watermark as MSS. 29 and
52.

Languages: English, Latin

Custodial History: [Insert date (YYYY) here] from UK catalog: Bought at the Sotheby sale by Maggs Brothers for £14 and sold to
Keynes on 13 August 1936 for the sale price plus 20%. See Spargo, '1936 sale', 127. [Insert acquisition info here]

Physical Location: Keynes MS. 31, King's College Library Cambridge University Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

Electronic Publication: Keynes MS. 31. Published 2011, Indiana University Bloomington, IN.

General Editor: William R. Newman

Initial Transcription: John A. Johnson
Editorial Review: Lawrence C. Glass

Preferred Citation:
Isaac Newton. "Keynes MS. 31". The Chymistry of Isaac Newton. Ed. William R. Newman 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2023 from:
http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/newton/ALCH00020.

<1r>
15
Liber Mercuriorum Corporum.
1

1. ℞ " 1/4lb, # 1/2lb, white Arsnick 1/2 lb, $ ℥4 ( in another place hee said  ℥8)
first pun these parcells & then grind them with the other following:
Alum roch 1/2 lb,  of flint stones a peck, (& if flint bee not to be gotten, then
℞ the other  made of chalk. Then ℞  filed 3lb or 4lb & grind all
together with red  2lb. Then take an earthen pot & set it halfe in
the *, you must have a cover full of holes, & luted thereto, upon the which
cover put all the said stuffe being ground & upon the same stuffe put
your +, & the matter afforesaid will descend into the pot underneath. And this is
done in 7 or 8 howers or there about; beware of the fume.
P. Bilie
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 2. ℞ of purged  in small filings 1℔ grind it in that distilld vinegar in which
℥2 1/2 of  is dissolved, then take more  poudered ℥i, # calcined ℥4,  ℥3,
 quae tonat ℥4: they being all poudered, mix them well together, first
puting in the  grinding it with the lead, then one halfe of your , then the
, then the other halfe of the  then the , & last of all ℥i of
 well sublimed, and after made into most subtile pouder: this done put them
into a decensory & keep fire thereon & in 8 howers you shall find  of  in
the bottome of your supponendum illi; as sayth that reverend father Sir Bryan Goodricke Canon of Glocester
a man of famous & singular memory. Note that there must bee noe more 3
then will just dissolve the , & if there bee more vapor it away.

3. Make one bed of 4 of # or 4 Alcaly, & another of limel of , for severall

courses; then sublime it & you shall, upon the works find running ☿ brought forth of it.

4. ℞ leaden plates cleane scraped noe thicker then the tag of a point & lay them
upon new tiles in a moist cellar upon an earthen flore, then set over them
a fire in a pot grated at the bottom that the heat may descend & strike upon the
plates, a span in height over or above & in 1/2 a day or more you shall have
the  thereof run out into vessels set to receive it.

5. ℞  1lb, 7 vive ℥i, put them in a vessel of earth with oyle swiming
over & covering the matters. lute the vessel close & make fire by the space of one
day or more if used, after let it coole & thou shalt find ☿, also know that
 will melt in the oyle as it were wax. &c Geber.

24. ℞ of purged  in small filings 1lb, of  1℔, of Borace 1/2lb: melt all these
together in a strong Glasse.

6. To make ☿ of  to joyne with the quintessance of ♁ to multeply the Elixar: melt  &
fry him with " seven times & put him into a glasse well stopped & set it in horse
dung three days & it shall bee quick. [By frying I conceive is ment quenching in 
].

<1v>

7. Likewise tis said that if on 1lb of molten  bee cast ℥i of " Seven times & then
it bee digested for three days it will bee crude.

8. ℞  & melt it & mix some 7 with it at their first melting & then quench it
in common white wine  & put therein almost as much " as of that , pouder all together
& dissolve them & tis done & good ☿.

25 ℞  , melt it 6 or 7 times & at every time quench it in ,

then take of that  so dissolved 3lb, 4 & ; 1℔, borax 1/2lb mix all
together & digest it in horse dung (or fire of the wise) for 40 days & all will becom ☿
Said the monk of Terney.
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 9. ℞  make it into thin plates, & lay a bed of bay 4 & a bed of those
plates alternatly in an earthen pot well glazed within &
without, then bind on the cover with a wire & lute it close & set hott dung
for 20 or 30 days. The author said hee had proved this true.

2 ℞  2℔ plate it thin then take of 4 well prepared 2 grosses, " ℥i, white lead
& arsnick ana partes aequales: put it stratum super stratum into a pot, which pot set in a moist place the space
of 8 days soe that noe < comes to it, & then in the bottom will be ☿ i℔ .

10. ℞  10lb (purged) & finely limelled, $ & # calcined white of such a quantity ℥12, put them into a
well glazed or strong glasse vessel put
as much strong  thereto as will cover it an inch deep, let it stand in Balneum Mariae for
6 or 7 days (or in fimus equinus for 20 or 60 days) & you shall draw 7lb of ☿ from it.
In our receipt to this purpose there are these words added [otherwise you may calcine #
with $ till they bee white as snow], another adds these words [The $ for this ☿ of
 is thus calcined; Boyle $ in cleane water, take it of & put a good quantity
of vinegre to it, let it stand 12 or 14 howers & you shall find it in long
peices, which dry & beate to pouder & use].

15. ℞ old  that hath layn on church windows or such like (for that is whitest & best
for this purpose) melt it in an Iron dish, into which, when molten, cast 4 calcined
to white, & work & stirr it well with a spatula till it bee calcined, then wash
away the salt with hot or boyling water untill it bee fresh & sweet; put this pouder into
a glasse vessell & put thereon  & , & stop it close & set it in dung for 20
days & most of it shall bee ☿.

23 ℞  calcined by salt & dulcifyed as before put in an earthen vessel with a little
hole above & pour in  satiated with " till it swim over it, lute it, & set it in dung
& in 16 days thou shalt see grains of ☿ & in other 16d it will all bee ☿.

21 ℞  or saccar i ilb, " ℥6, & put them in white wine vinegar thrice distilld
1lb (or 16lb), digest it. F. Fairfax.

22 ℞ purged  put it in an earthen pan & set it in a reverberating heat that

the flame may smite upon it & stir it with a stick or rather slice full of
holes till it bee murtia, then pouder it subtilly, & put thereto  & digest
for 20 days. Thus may you make ☉ of ♃. Note this for a great secret Lumen lumin.

18. ℞  calcind by 4 & dulcified, digest it in dung with white argoll for a month
& all or most of it will becom ☿

<2r>
ffrom Rich Staipinghurst, (or rather I: Isaacus Holandinus his Opus Salarni.)
2

16 Dissolve Ceruse againe & againe in 3 untill all dissolve without leaving any feces, being
as white as snow: of which take 1lb, 2lb of # well calcined & clarifyed by dissolving &
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 congealing till it leave noe feces behind it, & 1lb of " sublimed that it leave noe feces
behind it. Put the  into a stone pot, pour to it a competent quantity of 3 mix them well
also mix the salts & put them in & presently lute it close so the spirits exhale not but first set the pot in cold water &
let stand so
for a day least the salts & vitriol boyle & work over bursting the pot. Digest in BM
for 31 days; then let it coole, open it set on a head, distill of the vinegar in sand,
gradually augmenting the fire till alle the vinegre bee come over & you see ☿ in the pipe,
& when you see the ☿ ascend more slowly increase the fire always a little, untill
at last the breech of the cucurbit bee red hot: the ☿ being all distilld of you will
find the " in head sublimed as good as before, & the 4 of # will run per deliquium
from the caput mortuum.

19. ℞ limel of purged  mix it with as much beech ashes, close them well, & set them
in BM for 40 days. et erit
<Translation: and it will be done>
. In my nosegay lib libr.

20. ℞  calcined by 4 & dulcifyed & digest it with calx of marble in a glasse close
stopped in fimo equino for 15 or 20 or 30 days; & the vapor becomes .

26. ℞  purged 3lb,  1lb, borax 1/2lb misce terendo super porphynium, pone in vitro
in  per 40 dies; et erit. I. Bales.

13 ℞ ♄ (or ♃) & coren him fine two tween platters, or els dissove it in Aqua
fortis weakened if need bee by a little < that it break not the glasse. Take of this
pouder sifted 1lb or lesse  1/2lb, # calcined 1/2lb,  of egg shells ℥4. put them in
a bolts head & pour thereon good rectifyed 3 of white wine 3 fingers high, lute &
digest in BM for 6 or 8 days. Pour it out into a stone vessell, pour away the < &
pour on fresh so shall you draw away the # & . Dry the remaining (alk of 
& egg shells & make them into 2 small pellets with noblest lime rye meale & whites
of eggs, which being dry put into an earthen retort with a recipient with < therin,
& distill it as  & you will find runing ☿, which wash with 4 &  & strain through leather

11. Put # &  calcined of such a quantity. into good spirit of wine 2 or 3 times rectifyed, &
when dissolved strein them from faeces through a or linnen cloth, to this put
 rasped but not calcined, that the liquor stand 4 or 5 fingers above the . To
every ℥i of rasped  you shall put ℥2 of # & ℥i 1/2 of  which you shall
dissolve as before. lute them close & digest them till they bee dissolved into a thick substance
take it out, straine the liquor from it, put it into a new vessel &
put to it oyle of pure # & a little faire water, let it stand for 4 or
5 days in a G made of ashes in a gentle heat, & it will quicken & becom
☿ of .

12. Or this ℞ # 1℔,  3/4lb, calcine them together & put them into strong vinegre distilld,
put thereto " 1℔ with the  rasped, when they are all dissolved together let the
glass be sealed, & set in dung for 6 or 7 days or longer
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 then take it out & quicken it with # as before. I have seen  drawn out
of  by these mixtures once my selfe by the help of Nich: Richard. &c.

<2v>

14 ℞ fat copperose 2℔, $ 1℔, " 3/4lb, Alum 1/2lb, & draw therefrom of such a quantity  which
I put in larg quantity upon the 4 of , & often times draw it over the helm
& so the I will suffocate the  & dissolve it, & carry it over the helm with it
(whereas if you put but a little I on the  at once, the # would retain the
spirits of the , & the I drawn from it would bee faint without any sharpnesse
at all). In this liquor digest  fil'd or laminated for 14 20 or 30 days, in
dung (sprinkling the dung with piss in which 4 hath been dissolved, to make the
dung keep its heat): & the  shall bee brought into  which must after bee
lifted over the helm with 4 of .

18. ℞ ;, $, cerussae ♄ of such a quantity & draw a < thereof like I, into 1℔ of which put
℥4 of common < to abate its burning heat, let it stand 4 days & it will becom
of a greenish colour; into this water put , calcined in a  with 4 &
finely searsed, lute it close & putrefy by digesting in dung for 14 days, then mix
with it 1/2℔ of prepared 4 of , & 1/4℔ of ", to every pound of . & put it with vinegre
into a still & make it ascend & passe over the helm

17 ℞  4lb finly calcined boyle it in a strong lye made of  & pot ashes so long till
it yield noe more blacknesse, then boyle & wash the calx with < & 4, & then dulcify
it well with fresh water, then grind it with as much " fixed, pour thereon 3, stirr them
well together & boyle them in BM one day, pour of the clear & ad more fresh 3 to
the feces, & boyle it again stirring it often with a stick, & pour of the cleare, & reiterate
this till all bee drawn up which will ascend, & nothing but the feces of  remain
behind. Macirate the tincted 3 in G 7 days, (letting it stand in the G all this time
of the drawing up of the  into the 3): Then in G distill of the 3, & put faire
< thereto & boyle them together a while, & by filter draw away the < with
the fixed ", & there will remain a substance like soft butter with all the colors
of the rainbow: unto which put as much 4 of  fixed, & the < of the whites of eggs
with 1/4th t of good , let them putrefy in BM 8 days, distill away the moisture
& in your ♂ pot, or (which is better) by descensory, distill with strong + the  of .

27 ℞ the best wine vinegre distill from it one eight part in flegm, to every
4lb put 5 whites of eggs very well beaten to froth, mix them well & let them
stand in a broad earthen glazed vessel 3 days & skim of the froth with a spoon
& the  will bee clear & freed from its feces. Put thin plates of  into it & they
will dissolv in 2 nights & the  will bee sweet: then decant & take the remaining feces
& dry them in the aire not in the ☉ or fire, & when dry put them in a broad
unglazed pot over the + ,inclined & the ☿ will seperate from the rest, that which
remains bring the ☽ that it holdeth.
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 28 ℞ , calcined in a strong fire; & digest it in 3 in dung for 15 days, then
distill away the 3 by filter & put the remaining ashes (or calx) into a linnen cloth
presse it hard & the ☿ will squeez out.

29 Tis reported that if a hole bee cut in the body of an oake a good way
above the root, when the sap ascends, & laminated  bee put into the hole; the
sap will swim upon it & reduce it to ☿.

<3r>

30. Amalgam  i℔ with common ☿ i℔ & grind it with " & 4 of # untill they
3

come to the thicknesse of pap or grewell, digest them in fimo 15 days & all will be ☿.

31. Mr Bayon saith; To Limall of  3℔, & ☿ vive 1℔, put 3 8℔ lute & digest
in G with a gentle heat for 14 days, then let the 3 vapor away other 14 days,
always stirring it 2 or 3 times a day till it bee almost dry then pour on it
 4℔ or more, & add # calcined white 1 1/2℔; distill the < of & cohobate it
6 or 7 times with a dry & gentle +, & at the 6t or 7th time augment the fire
till the vessel bee red hot & the ☿ will sublime & rise over,

32. To  i℔ molten & taken from the fire put ☿ 1/2℔ softly, & stirr it
with a stick till it bee pouder: which pouder digest in dung for 40 ♋ or
longer till it all becom ☿. Then put thin plates of  into that ☿ & let
it stand 24 howers, & serve it so till you have put 1/4℔ of plates to 1℔ of ☿
& thus you may multiply your ☿.

33  of . Put  calcined &  into vinegre thrice distilld, & shut the
vessell quickly that the virtue exhale not, into which vessell put your  calcined &
seale it with lutum sapientiae, digest it for 8 or 10 days & nights, distill, & first
the vinegre will ascend then the 5th essentia or us æ, which is of soe great vertue
in minerall operations that tis not lawfull to reveal them. Sr George Ripley canon of
Bridlington in his practica secreta.

34.  of all bodys. In a pint of our  dissolve ℥3 of the 4 of  then

distill it per filtr, herin putrefy the calx of any body soe that it may stand
an inch or two above the Calx. Digest it in  or  15 or 16 days & it shall
bee ☿. Sr George Ripley in his practica secreta.

36  of . ℞ Crude ☿ 1/2℔,  prepared &  of such a quantity ℥4 incorpora

them well by grinding, sublime them, imbibe the sublimate with  , & revive it
by subliming. Thus sublime & revive it 12 times. then amalgam foliated ☉ with it,
digest it & distill it & all will bee volatile ☿. digest againe in  or  & distill it
againe, & put the pure into a vessel with a long neck & make a fire & it will
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 fix. To one ounce of the fixt ☿ add 2 ounces of unfixt and all three shall bee
fixed. Keep the fixed for medicine & the volatile for gaine. Sr George Ripley in libro de suis secretis.

37  of all bodys. ℞ ☿ & purg it well, & put

to it what body you please in limel or foile in a  & when they bee both hot
put more  on them & rech them well together, & then pass as much through
a skin as you can, keep that apart, & grind the residue with more  & some hot
water pour away the water & pass through the sckin as hard as you can
digest the residue in a bolt head wel closed all night & pass it again ut supra
& with the residue doe as before till it all pass through. This  will sublime &
with  makes an excellent vermilion. Sr George Ripley had this from a friend that
practised it.

38  of  or . ℞ whither of them you will ℥i,  purged ℥24 grind them

together with 3, drink up the moisture with a spong, grind againe with more , & often
strein it through a linnen cloth, so grind & straine till all pass through
then sublime it with the [ of , to purify & quicken it, putting two ts of
[ to one of ☿ Isaac Hollander.

<3v>

35 Dissolve  in aqua regis as much as you please, abstract 1/2 the <, & set it in a
cold place to christallize, to the christalls add their weight of common  prepared
& grind them well together, pour on fresh ] & abstract it again the oftener the
better, till the water grow weak & spiritlesse, then extract all the water that the
matter remain dry upon which pour a competent quantity of the 5t essence of wine
(that is, which has extracted a rednesse from  calcined to white) & digest it the
longer the better; then distill of the liquor, & augment the fire gradually till it bee most
vehement & there will rise a yellow beutifull dust, of which mix one t with
two ts of  calcined & sublime it as is usuall to revive it into . One
amalgam 1t of  calcined with 2 ts of this ☿ & digested them, but it would
not dissolv nor stick to its body. Sr George Ripley.

 of  or ☾. ℞ purged  or ☾ ℥i, &  well loted ℥6 grind them well together &
put them into a double glasse digest in  3 days, grind againe, & distill it
in a low body with a lent & graduated fire & in 24 howers it will ascend &
carry with it some of the  dissolved into , the vessel being cold, sweepe
away with a feather the  sublimed & straine it through leather: & what will
not pass through grind with the caput mortuum & ℥6 more of loted ☿ till all
the ☿ bee drunk up, digest, distill, & straine as before; repeat this twice more
till you have spent ℥24 of ☿ to ℥i of . And then is it ready to bee
made perfect medicine, qd Barner the

 out of all mineralls. ℞ . purify it, dissolv it per deliquium set it in a

kettle on the fire, pouder the minerall very small & put it into the < by little
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 (constantly stirring it) till it bee so thick that it cannot bee stirred any more,
let it coole make it into pretty wedges like bricks & lay it in a place
defended from the sun raine & wind, yet where it may have free aire, &
being dry break it & the  will come forth. (Another coppy of the same
Author saith Let your masse being in most subtile pouder bee sublimed, & the
 shall ascend from the feces. Bacon the Fryar

 of . ℞  the strongest thou canst get & assa faetida, &

blew indico in the quantity of: grind alle together very fine wherewith cement the lamins
of , & set them in a  cover with another in a gentle heat 24 howers. And
you shall find a wonder kept secret by the Philosophers. This is my hony comb.

☿ of  (i.e. ♃). R <sic>  1℔ put in an iron pot or founders crucible with an

iron cover which must have a knob or ring to take it of & on with a little rod of ♂
set it on the fire & blow: continually, & always as the spirit ascends & sticks on
the top (which will bee in the space of a creed chop the cover into a vessel of
clean water standing by, doe thus till noe more will ascend, then evaporate the
water & your  will remain in the bottom, which take & grind with so much 
well sublimed & dissolve them in a corrosive of , , & , evaporate the water &
dry the pouder which now fixed is a perfect medicine upon purged  one upon ten. But
before your projection, doe fix your white pouder with the [ of . Mr Conradus de Hildenser 1474.

<4r>
4

 of . Salg of any mettall may bee very easily brought to  being

wrought upon as you did with salg of . go either doe make it of , or else
goe gather where  is made, for you may have hors loads & thanks too for carrying
it away. Saith that famous Canon of Walton Rowland Grey & Bryan Goorick.

 of . ℞ Florentine  for that needs little or rather no purging, calcine

it to a most subtile pouder, & pour [ of # to it that it may swim two fingers
above it, digest it in  8 days & nights, pour away the [, dry it; put upon
it the < of life, or our menstruall, lute it close, give it a lent +, & that
Calx will visibly turn to , & put it in a glass with the < of  prepared, then strein
it through a linnen cloth or sheeps skin, & what will not passe through dissolve
again with more of your blessed < till it will passe through; soe have the  of
 which will bee heavy of motion, & volatile. To multiply this 
℞ 1 mark of this  & ℥4 of the pure lymell of  purged,  them together
till they becom like pap or butter & put to that  ℥12 of our menstruall
< or  in a strong glasse & all will becom . If further you would make
the Elixar read Sr Bryan Goodrich canon of Glocester my Author.

 of . ℞ fine  in foile or limel, grind it with 4 prepared on a marble

till it bee most fine pouder, wash away the salt & dry the calx, imbibe it with [
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 of # that it may bee covered 2 fingers deep, putrefy in BM 14 days, decant the [,
dry the Calx & pour on our  (as before) & the pouder will presently begin to alter into
 & if it stand any time it will all becom , pour away the  gently; then clens
it by  prepared dissolvd in rain water straining it through a skin as before, &
soe you make & multiply any other ☿. Bryan Goodrick.

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<4v>
S/7/1

Gold, ☉, , , Oyle [, , fimus Equinus , 

Silver ☽, , , , D Spirit of wine , m, Balneum Mariae , BM, G

Copper ♀, , Vinegar , , Crucible 

Iron ♂ Distilld vinegar 3 stratum super stratum sss

Tin ♃,  Aqua Fortis I, , dies noctesque ♋

Lead , ♄, ,  Aqua Regis ], , Of each a like quantity, ana, ,

Mercury ☿, , , , , ,  Fire + An Ounce ℥i

Antimony ♁ Aire p A pound1 ℔, ℔j

Sulphur 7,  Water < Half a pound ℔ ss

Sublimate i, , Earth *

Vitrioll ;,  Salarmoniack water , &c

Salt 4,  A solution of Niter , &c

Niter $, , , ,  A solution of Tartar  &c.

Tartar #, , , ,  Calx C, 

Sal Armoniack ", , , ,  Materia 

Ochab, Almisadar.
Amalgam aaa, 

quintescence q.e.

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