The Ripley Scroll (c. 1450) - Page 6

⚠The manuscript shows significant fading in the smaller marginalia and interlinear glosses. The text is written in an Early Modern English secretary hand. Some edges of the scroll appear worn.

And on Jesus is his name
which God shaped with his hand
And Magnus likely referring to Albertus Magnus, a famous medieval scholar and alchemist his life's date
You shall behold and understand

Now I shall tell the premise
To teach you the ready way
Or else you shall it miss original: "wene" (lose/miss)
Take good heed what I say

Make the father spend it almost for his sin a man is lost And so his ring shall go to the go of his own burial man have you to govern and rule original: "reall" and manifest nature for to spring so the water brings forth for God the Father to ordain for he has prepared his paradise ready for to bring you a pie likely a reference to the magpie, symbolizing the black-and-white stage of alchemy to the stone so high to rule And Hermit is his name and Merlin original: "rlyne" his will and fame you may truly run it for shall readily understand man is his good gun metaphor for a vessel or catalyst and lead him by the hand for tell, tell you me now but take good heed to you?

for the three must be at one
for then you shall find well like you

Now understand what I mean
And take good heed thereto
my work shall brightly be seen
And join you so much now

As I have said to you, my love
with a stone I think original: "wend" he has
soon by lives shall be some
As philosophers these have guessed

Calculation this meant? And of the water sent? which is run into? stone full many men have? gone and man of his? nature made the? father under?

Eagle original: "Aquila" Eagle Eagle Eagle Eagle

In the sea with many feet

Stands the bride of rong?

Stone nor bright valuable

And make them take the fultrabill?

Where all our fires be gone

he hand fell us as a lion

Here is Was White & Red

And also our lion to quicken the dead

All & low which often falter

both hard, niche? & malleable

Under how will make a Royal

And there you sod? of this line

In the fine composition light / Standing by light of Hermes
Eating the water drunk / It makes you faster still / Till all fall pale and white
To floods that go as a flow / Turn it, want this thing and in it / and ask it for to quench his thirst
As the four elements fall / that are made bright in matter original: "materia" / this is the bird of? and wise one?

The Red Sea, The Red Sun original: "Sol", The Red Elixir of Life original: "elixer vite"

The bird of Hermes is my name
Eating my wings to make me tame

The bird of Hermes is my name / Eating my wings to make me tame This famous couplet describes "fixation": stopping a substance from evaporating (flying away) by chemically "taming" it.

The White Sea The Red Sea The White Sun The Red Sun The Elixir of Life

of his body of his soul of his form?

A Gallant?

Ripley Scroll: A famous 15th-century alchemical manuscript attributed to George Ripley.
Bird of Hermes: An alchemical symbol for mercury or the volatile spirit that must be "tamed" or fixed.
Red Sea: A symbolic stage in the alchemical process involving the "mercurial water."
Elixir of Life: The final goal of alchemy, a substance capable of curing all diseases and granting immortality.