THURNEISSER ZUM THURN, Leonhard.

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[In Hebrew]: Melitsath Kai Hermeneia, Das ist, ein Onomasticum und Interpretatio oder aussführlicheErklerung...uber Etliche frembde und (bey vielen hochgelarten, die der Lateinischen and Griechischen Sprach erfahren) unbekante Nomina, Verba, Proverbia, Dicta, Sylben, Caracter, and sonst Reden. Deren nicht allein in des theuren Philosophi und Medici Aurelii, Theophrasti, Paracelsi von Hohenheim, Sondern auch in anderer Authorum Schrifften...hin zusammen, nach dem Alphabet verzeichnet. Das Ander theil. Title within elaborate woodcut border, woodcut port. of the author on verso, & eight double-page woodcut tables (two tables with outer margins shaved). Title printed in red & black. 6 p.l., 188 pp. Folio, cont. limp vellum (reusing an old antiphonal). Berlin, N. Voltz, 1583. First edition of the Melisath, "a kind of dictionary directed to clarifying the works and ideas of Paracelsus, whose follower Thurneisser purported to be."­D.S.B., XIII p. 397. The Melisath is a continuation of Thurneisser's Hermenia, published in 8vo in 1574. Very handsomely printed, the Melisath contains a large number of quotations from a work entitled Carboantes by Paracelsus, unknown to earlier and contemporary authors, with the exception of Valentius de Retiis. Sudhoff discusses this at some length, questioning the authenticity of these references, without coming to any conclusion. At the end of the Melisath are bound in two double-page tables illustrated with fine figurative woodcuts, intended to be put together, and six double-page alphabetic tables within woodcut borders. These tables seem to be lacking in most copies. They are, however, essential to the completeness of this dictionary, containing phonetic equivalents in the scripts of Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Abyssinian, Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, Dalmatian, Russian, Georgian, Old Egyptian, Indian, Persian, and Turkish, with hints on pronunciation. In explanation of the rarity of copies with these tables, Sudhoff suggests they might have been obtainable separately. They are, however, referred to at the end of Thurneisser's preface, and form an integral part of the work. Thurneisser (1530-96), born in Basel, was one of the most remarkable men (and charlatans) of his century. He travelled in England, France, Bohemia, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and North Africa acquainting himself with metallurgical practices and methods. "In 1571 he settled at Frankfurt on the Oder, where he published his book Pison (1572), in which he states that the waters of the Spree carry gold. This attracted the attention of the Elector of Brandenburg, who made Thurneisser his physician. He cured the wife of the Elector, and in his laboratory in Berlin he made cosmetics, potable gold, tincture of rubies, amulets and talismans, which he sold at high prices. He taught boys chemistry for high fees, and practised astrology. His household now contained 200 persons and he became very wealthy. He had his own press in Berlin...He established or reorganized alum and saltpetre works and, in order to obtain apparatus, introduced improvements in glass factories. He so contributed to the development of chemical industry in Brandenburg and he attracted many clever artisans to Berlin. In this way he certainly laid the foundations of the chemical industry in Prussia."­Partington, II, pp. 152-53. Fine copy. There is much printing with exotic typefaces. Durling 4355­(apparently without the tables). Duveen p. 579­(lacking the tables). Ferguson, II, pp. 450-53­(no copy in Young collection). Sudhoff 194.

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