The Iconologia of Cesare Ripa was conceived as a guide to the symbolism in emblem books. It was very influential in the 17th century and went through a number of editions. There were 9 Italian editions -1593, 1603, 1611, 1613, 1618, 1625, 1630, 1645, 1764-7 and 8 non Italian editions in other languages, 1644 French, 1644 Dutch, 1699 Dutch, 1704 German, 1709 English, 1760 German, 1766 French and 1779 English. Both the text and the emblems included in these editions varies greatly, and later editions use Ripa's idea, rather than following his text. The text transcribed here by Rawn Clark is an extract taken from a manuscript in the British Library Ms. Add 23195. Although it does not contain alchemical material as such, it does provide keys to the allegorical symbolism used in the hermetic tradition.
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“Fools draw corrosive Waters out of inferiour Minerals, into which they cast the species of Me∣tals, and corrode them: For they think that they are therefore dissolved with a natural Solution, which Solution truly requires a permanency of the dissolver and dissolved together, that a new species might result from both the Masculine and Feminine Seed”
Bernard Trevisan
The Answer of Bernardus Trevisanus, to the Epistle of Thomas of Bononia
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