Re: VMs: RE: Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 17:27:28 -0400

["Rafal T. Prinke" <rafalp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Nick Pelling wrote:

> If (as I believe) you're referring to the Georg Hayniger MS, there are some
> nice gallows-like characters at the start of the paragraphs on pages 22v -
> 24v. :-)
> http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/ljs/PageLevel/index.cfm?ManID=ljs382&Page=47

This fragment is in German - and I believe the "gallows" are
a version of Rx (recipe) character, obvious in the later
Latin fragment.

> There's also a different gallows-like character at the start of paragraphs
> on 72r-72v.
> http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/ljs/PageLevel/index.cfm?ManID=ljs382&Page=143

These are definitely Rx characters.

> Finally: I'm fascinated by the complex figure right at the end (f89r) - can
> anyone tell me what it is supposed to mean?
> http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/ljs/PageLevel/index.cfm?ManID=ljs382&Page=177

As the caption below says, it is "Arbor Philosophiae" and shows
various alchemical operations and their order or relationships.
Such diagrams are quite frequent and are probably derived
from Lullian art of memory (as many alchemical texts were
ascribed to Ramon Lull) and from other philosophical/logical
constructions of this type, common in medieval scholasticism.

Best regards,

Rafal
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