ABSTRACT
Bernardus Trevisanus, a figure whose actual name and history have been obscured, is the reputed author of several famous alchemical texts. As in the title of the work translated here, Bernardus is often called a Count or Earl of the March (i.e., county or territory) of Trevisa (Treviso, Italy). But early manuscripts indicate that he was in 1385 “a citizen of Treves” (Trier, Germany), and in one major text he signs himself Trevirenszs. He is therefore now usually identified with the historical Bernard of Treves. 1 Perhaps best known for his alchemical correspondence with Thomas of Bologna (the father of Christine de Pisan), Bernardus flourished in the second half of the fourteenth century. 2 His De Chimico Miraculo contains an autobiographical account of the many lost years and vain searches that preceded his success at making the philosopher’s stone. Although some of its details may be based in fact, this narrative can hardly be taken at face value, the more so because it bears some striking resemblances to the supposed autobiography of Denis Zachaire (see the introduction to Zacharias, above).
