1471 - Ripley, George - Compound of Alchemy

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2014-08-13. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2014-08-14.

Allusion

Of thys a Questyon yf I shold meve,
And aske of Workers what ys thys thyng,
Anon therby I shoolde them preve;
Yf they had knowledge of our Fermentyng,
For many man spekyth wyth wondreng:
     Of Robyn Hode, and of his Bow,
     Whych never shot therin I trow.

Source notes

The stanza cited is No. 10 in the canto entitled "Of Fermentation".

Lists

• Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-11.
• Sussex, Lucy, compil. 'References to Robin Hood up to 1600', in: Knight, Stephen. Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw (Oxford, UK; Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1994), pp. 262-88; see p. 266.

Editions

• Ripley, George; Rabbards, Ralph, ed. The compound of alchymy. Or The ancient hidden art of archemie: conteining the right & perfectest meanes to make the philosophers stone, aurum potabile, with other excellent experiments (London, 1591); not seen.
• Ripley, George. The Compound of Alchymie. A most excellent, learned, and worthy worke, written by Sir George Ripley, Chanon of Bridlington in Yorkeshire, Conteining twelve Gates, in: Ashmole, Elias, ed. Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, Containing Severall Poeticall Pieces of Our Famous English Philosophers, Who have Written the Hermetique Mysteries in Their Owne Ancient Language (London, 1652), pp. 107-93; see p. 175.

Background

• Wikipedia: George Ripley (alchemist).

Notes

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