[Final testament of Nicolas Flamel].

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Contributor:

Rainsford, Charles, 1728-1809, former owner.

Northumberland, Hugh Percy, Duke of, 1742-1817, former owner.

Charles Rainsford Collection of Alchemical and Occult Manuscripts (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Alchemy--Early works to 1800.

Alchemy.

Occultism--Early works to 1800.

Occultism.

Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)

Manuscripts, English.

Manuscripts, European.

Penn Provenance:

Formerly owned by Charles Rainsford (British army officer, fellow of the Royal Society, and alchemist); bequeathed by Rainsford to Hugh Percy, Second Duke of Northumberland.

Owned by the 2nd through 12th Dukes of Northumberland, ms. 623, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, 1809-2014.

Sold at auction at Sotheby's (London), 15 July 2014, as part of Lot 411.

Physical Description:

99 leaves : paper ; 175 x 111 mm bound to 174 x 112 mm

Place of Publication:

[England?], [between 1750 and 1799]

Language Note:

English and French.

Biography/History:

15th-century scribe who gained popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries as a legendary alchemist who created the philosopher's stone and achieved immortality along with his wife, Perenelle.

Summary:

Copy of a French manuscript and an English translation purported to be the last will and testament of Nicolas Flamel originally written by him in 1414 (p. 1), but most likely composed in the 18th century. The introduction states that the manuscript from which it was copied was originally written backwards to make it more difficult to decipher (p. 1).

Notes:

Ms. codex.

Title supplied by cataloger.

Pagination: Paper, 99 leaves; 46 manuscript leaves interleaved with 53 leaves of blotting paper; [1-92]; modern pagination in pencil, lower outer corners of manuscript leaves. Pages 71-92 are blank. Irregular contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corners. All references in this record are to modern pagination.

Local Notes:

Purchased with support from the B. H. Breslauer Foundation.

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1706.

OCLC:

919206389

Online:

Unique at Penn blog post