LES SENTIERS D’HERMÈS: RIPLEY Ripley Scroll (Huntington Library).

RIPLEY Ripley Scroll (Huntington Library).

RIPLEY SCROLL

Variation on a lost 15th century original

Attributed to

George Ripley

(English Augustinian canon, author, and alchemist)

1415-1490

A 16th century version from the Huntington Library (HM 30313)
San Marino, California.

Transcription of HM 30313

[Latin inscription at top of scroll:] Est lapis occultus secreto fonte sepultus /
fermentum variat lapidem qui cuncta colorat.

[Here is the occult stone, buried in the secret fountain / it transmutes the fermented
stone, which tinctures everything]

[On handles of pelican flask held by Hermes:] Ye must make water of ye earth & earth
of ye ayre & ayre of ye fier & fyer of ye earth.

[Words scattered within flask:] Spiritus Anima

[Roundels inside the flask, beginning with upper right and moving clockwise:]

1. Spiritus · Anima · Corpus + Leo Rubens · [Leo] Viridis
[Spirit · Soul · Body + Red Lion · Green [Lion] ]

2. The soule forsooth is his sulpher not breninge

3. Acalido & humido + primo ex illis pasce quoniam debilis sum
[I have passed first through heat and humidity, from which I have become weak.]

4. Leniter degestus animatus sum exalta me grassioribus
[Slowly digested, I am animated; exalt me over my grosser parts.]

5. Exalto sepera subtilia me ut posim reducere ad simplex
[Raise me above the subtle elements so that I may be reduced to the simple.]

6. Sitio deficio pota me me albifica
[I thirst; I faint. Drink me. Whiten me.]

7. Vidui sumus & a domo p[r]opria elo[n]gati nos ad sp[irit]u[m] reduc[ere] ut corpus
nos amplectatur & nobis fiat amicabille
[We are widows removed from our proper home. Reduce us to the spirit, such that our
body embraces us and becomes lovable to us.]

8. Leniter cum igne amicabili fac ut aliqua viatentia nos seperare non possit
[Slowly, with loving fire, make it so that no other voyage can separate us.]

[On rim of athanor into which Hermes places the pelican flask:]
ye blacke sea ye blacke luna ye blacke sea ye blacke soll [sol]

[Title text under top panel:]
Here is ye last of yewhit stone & ye beginning of ye red stone

[First verse section:]
Of the Sunne take the light
The red Gum that is so bright
And of the Moon doe allsoe
The white gum there keepe too
The Philosophers sulphur vive
This I call it without strife
Kybright and Kebright it is called allsoe
And other names many more
Of them drawe a white tincture
And make of them a marriage pure
Between the husband and the wife
Espowsed with the water of life
But of this water thou must beware
Or else thy work will be full bare
He must be made of his own kind
Mark thou now in thy mind
Acetome of philosophers men call this
A water abiding so it is
The Maidens Milke of the dew
That all the work doth renew
The Spirit of life called allso
And other names many moe
The which causeth our generation
Betwixt the Man and the woman
Soe looke that there be noe devision
Be there in the Conjuntion
Of the Moone and of the Sonne
After the Marrige is begun
And all the while they be a wedding
Give him to her drinking
Acetam that is good & fine
Better to him then any wine
Now when this Marriage is done
Philosophers call this a stone
The which hath great Nature
To bring a Stone yt is so pure
Soe he have kindly nourishing
Perfect heate & decoction
But in the Matrix when they bee put
Looke never the vessel bee unshut
Till they have ingendred a stone
In all the world is not such a one

[Text beneath yellow scroll on either side of tree:]
Terra Stat Unita Lavat Pir Purgat Spiritus Intrat

[Text on alternating leaves in tree and scattered throughout panel:]
Spiritus Anima

[Text on fountain:]
Bibinge
The White Sea
The White Luna
The White Soll
Earth
Water
Terra Stat
Terra fier Stat
Dry
Cold

[Text above Green Lion:]
The Red Lune. The Spirit of Water. Red Sol. The Red Sea.

[Text on column to the left of the Lion and toad:]
The Stinginge Venume

[Text beneath Green Lion:]
Here is the fume Called the Mouth of the Collricke

[Second verse:]
On the grounde there is a hill
Allso a Serpent in a well
His Tayle is Longe with wings wide
Allready to flye by every syde
Repayre the well fast about
That the Serpent gett not out
For if that he bee there agone
Thou losest the Vertue of the stone
What is the Stone thou must know here
And allsoe the well that is soe cleare
And what is the Dragon with his tayle
Or else thy worke shall little avayle
The well must bren in water cleare
Take good heed for this thy fyer
The fyre with water Brente shalbe
And water with fire wash shall hee
Thine earth on fire shalbe pitt
And water with the eyre shalbe knit
Thus you shall goe to putrifaction
And bringe the Serpent to redemption
first he shalbe black as crow
And Downe in his Dene shall Lye full low
Swolne as a toade yt lyeth on the ground
Blast with bladders sitting soe round
And shalbe Burst and by full playne
And thus with Craft the Serpents slayne
He shall change collers many a one
And turne as whit as whall by bone
With the water hee was in
Wash him cleane from his sinn
And lett him drinke alite and lite
And that shall make him fayre & whit
The which whitnes is ever abydinge
Loe here is the very full finishing
Of the white stone and the red
Here truly is the very deede.

[Text surrounding Red and Green Lions:]
The Red Lyone
The Grene Lyone
Mouth of Colrick
Beware

[Text beneath Red and Green Lions:]
Here is ye last of ye red and ye begining to put awaye ye dead ye elexir vita

[Third verse surrounding Sun:]
Like thy father that phebus soe bright
Who sit soe highe in Maiestie
With his beames that shineth bright
In all charts wherever he bee
For he is father too All thinges
Maintainer of lyfe too crop and Roote
& causeth nature for too spring
Why therwisse being sote
For he is the salve too everey sore
To bring aboute this precious Worke
Take good heed untoo this lore
I say too lawes & too clarke
& Omogenie is his name
Which God shaped with his own hand
& Magnesia is his dame
Thou shalt verily understand.
Now I shall here begin
For to teach the Redye way
Or else litle shalt thou weene
Take good heed what I saye
Divide Phebus in Manye partes
With his beams that be so bright
& this with nature them conarte[?]
The which is Mother of all lyghte
This phebus hath full many a name
Which is now full hard too know
& but ye take the very same
The philosophers stone ye shall not know
Therefore I counsell ere ye begine
Know thou well what he bee
& that is thicke Make it thyn
For then it shall ryght well like the[e]
Now understand what I meane
& take good heede theretoo
Thy work els shall litell seeme
& turne to the full myckell wooe
As I have saide in this lore
Many a name I wisse he hath
Sum behind & some before
As philosophers there him gave

[Text around legs of the Bird of Hermes:]
Aquila
Spiritus
Anima

[Verses on scroll beneath blue globe:]
In the sea withouten lees
Stoude the Byrd of Hermes
Eating his winges variable
& Maketh him selfe there full stable
When all his Virgis byne a gone
Hee stood still there as a stone
Here is now Both White & Red
& Allsoe the Stone too quicken the Dead
All & some without an fable
Both hard & neche & malliable
Understand now well A Right
& thancke God of this Sight

The Red Sea The Red Soll The Red Elexir Vita

The Byrde of Hermes is my name eating my wings to make me tame

[Fourth verse, beneath Serpent of Araby:]
I shall now tell without leesinge
hou & what is My Generation:
Omogenie is my father
& Magnesia is my mother
And Azocke truly is my syster
& Kebirt for sooth is my brother
The Serpent of Araby is my name
The which is Leader of all this Game
That sumetime was woude & wilde
And now I am both meeke and milde
The sune and Moone with their might
hath chased me that was so Light
My Winges that me Braughte
Hether and thether where I thought
And with their Might they downe pull,
And bringeth me whether they wull
The Bloode of my harte I wisse
Now causeth both ioye & blisse
And Desolueth the verie stone
And kniteth him or he hath done
Now maketh hard that was light
Causeth him too ben fixte
Of my Bloode and Water I Wisse
Plentie In all the Worlde there is
It Renneth in Everey place
Who him finde might have Grace
In the World he Renneth over all
And Goeth Rounde As a Ball
But thou Understand well this
Of thy worke thou shalt misse
Therfore know ere thou begine
What he is and all his kynn
Many a name he hath full suer
And All is But one Nature
Thou must parte him A three
and them knit as the trinitie
And make them All three but one
Loe here is the philosophers Stone

[Final verse:]
In the name of the Trinitie
Harke here and ye shall see
Myne Author that formeth this worke
Both first Last breye & darke
Some of them I shall you tell
Both in Rime and in Spell
Mallapides Plat and Deion,
And the Booke of turba philosophorum
Both Aristotle Geber and Hermes
Also Lully Morien and Rosaries
Bonelles Raymondus and Albert
Arnold & Percy the Muncke soe blacke
Aros and Rasces and Allso Dessrima
The sister of Moises Mary prophitis
Baken also the Grate Clarke
Firmith I wisse all this worke
All these Accordeth now in one
That here is the philosophers stone
Otherwise it May not Bee
Understood this I Counsell thee
And praye thou God of his Grace
That thou maest have tyme and space
Too have the troth of this parrable
Thancke thou God that is so stable
For many A man Desireth this
Both pope emperrour and king I wisse
Prieste and Clarke and Allsoe Frier
And not so much but the very begger
Now Jesus must it be thy will
Kepe us from the paine of hell
And as thou madest daies seaven,
Bringe Us to the Blese of heaven,
All maner Good men in his Degree
Amen amen for Charitie

[Latin inscription at bottom:]
Si queras in merdis secreta philosophorum expensum perdis opera tempus que
laborem

[If you seek the secrets of philosophy in dung, you will lose the expense, the effort, as
well as time and labor.]

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APPENDIX