The manuscript contains extracts from Newton's favorite alchemist, the American writer George Starkey (1628-1665). Starkey's Marrow of Alchemy (1654-5), the work Newton cites here, was published ...

With Bill Newman's help, we've "decoded" a page from one of these manuscripts. To orient yourself to the bewildering world of 17th-century alchemy, we recommend you first read our interview with ...

But though the manuscript illuminations speak toward a more secular age, they apply medieval alchemy to make gentle nature glitter with lasting fire. The Cleves master was shrewd but also ...