George Ripley (14— -1490?).
[894]George Ripley was a canon of Burlington, the greatest chymist of his time. Mr. Elias Ashmole has the draught of his monument there.
Mr. Meredith Lloyd (an able chymist, and who informed his majestie and Sir Robert Moray herin) hath a MS. in 8vo, 3 inches thick, transcribed by T. P. 1580, viz.:—Medulla Philosophiae, in English; item, Ripley's XII Gates, in English verse (more full then in Mr. Ashmole's Theatrum Chymicum)—'Geo. Ripley finivit opus, anno 1471'—with the astronomicall tables comprehending the secret of the booke.
Item, Mr. Meredith Lloyd haz here in this collection another MSS. of Chymistry ἀνονυμῶς.
Item, another MS. of Birford, a monk of Ford.
Item, The Mirror of Light[895], another MS.
Item, another of an ἀνόνυμος[896], on the same subject.
The Ordinall of Alchymy, by Norton, MS.
Item, de Mercurio et lapide philosophorum, MS.
In this volumne is also bound-up Ripley's Ars chymica quod sit licita recte exercentibus.
Item, Mercurii Trismagisti 7 tractat.
Item, ejusdem, Tabulae Smaragdinae.
Studium concilii conjugii de massa Solis et Lunae, impress. Argentorati, 1566.
I have not had leisure to peruse this rare treasure enough[897]; but I remember Ripley trounces the monkes of Westminster for cheating the citizens of London, promising them making of gold.