Note 2614 — Chapter XXVIII · ARABIC OCCULT SCIENCE OF THE NINTH CENTURY
Reading edition
Spec. astron. cap. 6. He gives the Incipit of the Experiments of Albumasar as “Scito horam introitus” which serves to identify it with the following:
Amplon. Quarto 365, 12th century, fols. 1-18, liber experimentorum.
Ashmole 369-V, 13th century, fols. 103-23v, “ ... incipit liber in revolutione annorum mundi. Perfectus est liber experimentorum....”
Ashmole 393, 15th century, fol. 95v, “Item Albumasar de revolutionibus annorum mundi sive de experimentis....”
BN 16204, 13th century, pp. 302-333, “Revolutio annorum mundi.... Perfectus est liber experimentorum Albumasar....”
Arsenal 880, 15th century, fol. 1-.
Arsenal 1036, 14th century, fol. 104v.
Dijon 1045, 15th century, fol. 81-.
Other MSS containing Experiments of Albumasar but where I am not sure of the wording of the Incipit are:
Laud. Misc. 594, 14-15th century, fol. 123-, Liber experimentorum.
Harleian 1, fols. 31-41, de experimentis in revolutione annorum mundi.
CLM 51, 1487, and 1503.
Vienna 2436, 14th century, following John of Spain’s translation of the Introductorium magnum at fols. 1-85 and a Liber magnarum coniunctionum at fols. 144-98, comes at fol. 242, “Liber experimentorum seu Capitula stellarum oblata regi magno Sarracenorum ab Albumasore.” The Incipit here is “Dispositio est ut dicam ab ariete sic initium” but the treatise is incomplete.
In some MS at Oxford which I cannot now identify the Flores of Albumasar close with the statement that the book of Experiments will follow. A different hand then adds “The following work is Albumazar on the revolutions of years,” while a third hand adds the explanation, “And according to some authorities it and the book of experiments are one,” which is the case.
In some MSS, however, another treatise on revolutions accompanies the Experiments. In Amplon. Quarto 365 it is followed at fols. 18-27 by Sentencie de revolucione annorum, while in Laud. Misc. 594 it is preceded at fol. 106 by Liber Albumasar de revolutionibus annorum collectus a floribus antiquorum philosophorum, which is the same as the Flores.