| Description Of Item | He gives an account of the life and alchemical interests of his grandfather, Sir George Areskine [Erskine], some provenance of the manuscripts and his decision to donate the volumes to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
He writes 'I haveing found by letters directed from one Dr Politius (a Polonian or Silesian) to my Grandfather Sir George Areskine of Invertile...who was a great student in natural philosophy, evn to a considerable advancement in the Hermetick schoole, and had a correspondence in very remote parts with the sonnes of Hermes and of whos fruits of his expensive and secret correspondence with them I have depositat some volumns of manuscripts, mostly of his own handwritt. This was sent to him, by the Society at Hess, and directed under the conveyance of the said Dr Politius, who by his letters to Sir George declares that by direction of that Society his chief errand to Scotland was to conferr with him. And I judged it a monument, not unworthy to be consigned to the Honorable Colledg of Physicians at Edinburgh both for its conveyance and matter: evn tho perhaps much of it may be or is now in print...' (abridged). |