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INTRODUCTION

them in the text would have made it in many places quite unintelligible." ¹

The summary of the Lesser Work original: "Opus Minus" is clear but disappointingly brief. It consisted of (1) introduction, which was expounded in the Third Work original: "Opus Tertium"; (2) enumeration of the parts of the Greater Work original: "Opus Majus", with a treatise on the heavenly bodies original: "de celestibus" inserted in the part on mathematics (see below); (3) Practical ² Alchemy "in riddles" original: "in enigmatibus"; (4) Sins of Study original: "Peccata Studii" with a treatise (inserted in the sixth "Sin") on the generation of things from the elements original: "de generatione rerum ex elementis", called elsewhere Speculative Alchemy,³ which dealt with (a) animals and plants, the causes of the prolongation of human life, together with an explanation of some alchemical riddles; (b) the generation of metals, especially of gold; (c) the relation of these things to the interpretation of Scripture; (5) Remedies for Study original: "Remedia Studii". I shall discuss the composition of the Lesser Work only in so far as it bears on the composition of the Third Work.

The chapters on Alchemy, which follow, formed evidently the treatise composed for the Third Work, not the separate treatise, a rough copy of which Bacon sent to the Pope by the hand of John. It may be noted that Bacon's explanation of the alchemical terms for metals agrees with that which Chaucer puts into the mouth of the "Canon’s Yeoman" This refers to a character in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" who discusses the deceptive nature of alchemy..

The Winchester manuscript differs from the Paris manuscript edited by Professor Duhem in that it omits (1) the long digression On the motions of heavenly bodies original: "De motibus corporum celestium" (Duhem, pages 98 to 137); (2) the discussion on the halo (ibid., pages 138 to 148); (3) the beginning of the treatise On the generation of natural things original: "De rerum naturalium generatione" (ibid., pages 190 to 193).

The first two of these are undoubtedly additions, but additions made by the author and intended for insertion in the Third Work. It may be pointed out that the early Tanner manuscript, which contains the chapter On experimental science original: "De scientia experimentorum", omits the treatise on the halo. It is probable that the earliest version of the Third Work did not contain these additions;

¹ Volume III., page 183.       ² See page 81 below; Duhem, page 183.
³ See below, page 82; Duhem, page 183.