HTML Scrolling Menu Css3Menu.com



Ars notoria manuscripts

A provisional listing of some of the Ars notoria manuscripts. The Ars notoria was an important early example of a 'Solomonic' magical work .
Back to Solomonic manuscripts page .


MS. Sloane 513.
Parchment. Small Quarto. 321 folios. 15th Century.
39. Ars Notoria; with tables. f.202.
Begins: 'Hic incipit ars notoria, ad intelligendum omnes artes et secreta tocius mundi.'
Ends: 'Amen quod Ric Dove, Monarchus Bukfestre.'

MS. Sloane 3008.
Paper. Quarto. 70 folios. 15th Century.
2. Tractatus de Arte notoria, cum figura Theologiae. f.66.
Begins: 'Salve, virgo, Mater trinitatis-'.

Bodleian MS. Ashmole 1515.
112 folios. Large Folio. Late 16th Century.
1. f4r In nomine sancte et individue trinitatis incipit sanctissima Ars Notoria, qua[m[ Creator altissimus per suum angelum supra altare templi tradidit Salomoni dum oraret...
f4r-10r Incipit primus tractatus istius sanctissime artis notorie, et expositiones ejus et temporum exceptiones, quas Salomon et Apollonius flores aureous appellaverunt...
f4-10 [An English translation of this cabalistic book.]
2. f23-40 The Glosse of Apollonius upon the former treatise called Ars Notoria or Ars Memorativa...

Bodleian MS. Digby 29.
305 folios. Parchment. 15th Century.
40. Ars Notoria, sive Ars scribendi per characteres brevius ac facilius quam per literas. f275-278.

Bodleian MS. Digby 218.
109 folios. Parchment. 13th and 14th Centuries.
3. Roger Bacon Opus Minus. f57.
13. [Two folios with diagrams from the Ars Notoria 'tercia figura grammatice', the first and second 'nota dyaletice', and 'prima figura artis rethorice'.]

Bodleian MS. Bodley 2871.
Parchment. 17 1/2 x 12 1/2 in., i + 21 leaves, in double columns: with many curious coloured diagrams. 15th Century.
'Sacratissima ars notoria...', a cabalistic work professing to be by 'Appollonius' and to be called 'Flores aurei': interspersed with prayers, as in MS. Bodley 8908, which is a similar but later, and accompanied by a commentary: text begins 'Alpha et O Deus omnipotens'; commentary begins 'In principio operationis istius'.

Bodleian MS. Bodley 8908.

Bodleian MS. Jones 1.
Paper. 13.1 x 10.6 in. 100 folios, with coloured figures. 1600-2.
In Latin. Written in 1600-1 by S. Forman:
A cabalistic work professing to have been revealed to Solomon and explained by 'Appolonius artium magister': on fol. 85 v, 'Explicit Ars notoria cum figuris septem artium liberalium et 7m mechanicarum et excepti[u]arum et cum figuris generalium et Thrologiae et tocius philosophiae...Finis per Simonem Forman 1601 the 14 of Julii anno etatis sue 49' (see MS Ashmole 208, f. 62v).
A few English phrases occur in the volume.

Glasgow University Library MS. Ferguson 50.
147 pages. 211x129mm. 19th Century.
[Pseudo-Solomon] Ars Notoria
f1 'L'Art du temps le plus court, que le Créateur suprême a revelé à Salomon.' [Added in later hand 'Que le Grand Architecte de l'Univers a rendé à Salomon.] 'Au nom de la Sainte et indivisible Trinite, commence l'Art des Arts, Tres Saint, que le Createur Supreme a communique a Salomon et fait remettre par un Ange sur l'Autel du Temple,...'
f3 Mercure Trismegiste et Apolonius nomment cet Art des Fleurs d'Or.
f5 Chant Secret
f9 Priere Hebraique, elle est composee de Grec, d'Hebreux et de Chaldeen.
Cette Priere Ordonnee par Salomon et qu'aucun langage humain ne peut rendre. Apollonius, ami et successeur de salomon, y voit des Mysteres divins, profonds et tres-Saints; toujours a prononcer avant aucune autre.
[On p. 138]: 'le 26 avril 1826'
[In French, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Text in black ink with headings, etc in red, placed within double ruled margin.]

Cambridge, Trinity College MS. R.16.26. [CMA 564].
22 folios + a printed sheet. Vellum. With many illustrations and borders carefully done in outline. 17th Century, 1623.
1. f1 Praier of the whole Man Spirite Sowle and Body.
2. f2 An admonition. 'A renenerat mynde' a man stepping out of the sphere heavenward, his skin falling off him.
3. f3 Of the Art Notoria and of Idea how farr it may bee understoode. [Various drawings.]
[The most part of the text is anti-papal. Bound in at the end is a large folded broadsheet with a satirical design of the Pope and the emperor Charles. 'This strange Figure hath beene thus drawne and paynted out two hundred yeares afore the byrth of Carolus M. and found in a stone wall, etc.' Then follows a prophecy of Capistranus in English, 'Translated out of the old Dutch coppye in print all most 50 yeares since. And now reprinted 1621'.]

Cambridge, Trinity College MS. O.9.7.
118 pages. Paper. 283x190mm. 16th Century.
Liber de Arte memoratiua siue notoria.
Written by Simon Forman.
[p106] 'Finis orationum per Simonem Forman 1600, 28 Junii hora p.m. at 8'.

Mellon Collection, Yale University Library. MS. 1
18 folios. Parchment. 259x165mm. 13th Century [c. 1225.]
Apollonius (Tyanensis?). Ars Notoria, sive Flores aurei.

Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale. MS. 7153.
Parchment. Folio.15th Century.
Sacratissima ars notoria, quam Creator altissimus per Angelum suum super altare templi quadam nocte Salomoni, dum oraret, ministravit; ut per eam omnes scientias liberales, mechanicas et exceptivas, et earum facultates per breve spatium temporis posset acquirere et habere; et in proferendo mystica verba sanctarum orationum, et invocando nomina sanctorum Angelorum, quae in ea continetur, in omni scientia ac sapientia penitus fundaretur; accedunt figurae: porro hoc opus nihil aliud est quam praecedens cum commentario.

Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale MS. 7154.
Paper. Folio. 16th Century.
Sacratissima ars notoria, quam Creator altissimus per Angelum suum [with figures.]

Vienna, Österreichen Nationalbibliothek MS. 11340 [Nov. 626.]
100 folios. Paper. Quarto. 18th Century.
'Sacer libellus arcanorum pro memoria ac arte notoria seu cognitione orationum, quam creator altissimus Salomoni per angelum revelavit... per Eliam Artistam de Carenscrux 1748.'

Munich, Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek MS. Clm 276.
161 folios. Paper and parchment. Folio. 14th Century.
1. f1 Apollonius flores aurei.
2. f26 Incipit opus operum et scientia scientiarum eo quod in opere.
3. f39v Incipit doctrina trivii et quadruvii. Iniciatur dogma artis notoriae.