First edition, in the original Latin, of what proved an extremely popular work: 900 medical and other "secrets", including information on astrology, gardening, cosmetics and other subjects, arranged in nine numbered chapters, each containing 100 numbered prose "aphorisms". Like most books of secrets it offers a mixture of science and superstition gathered from a wide variety of ancient and modern sources, many of them named in the aphorisms, and its medicinal recipes served in turn as sources for other authors internationally. It is a beautiful little piece of book production, with finely engraved woodcut decorated initials and headpieces, excellent presswork and the main text set in a lovely Granjon St Augustin (86 mm/20 lines) italic.
Mizauld (1510-1578) was a professor of medicine at the University of Paris and astrologer and physician to Margaret of Valois. Mizauld thought the poor often fell prey to greedy apothecaries, so he presented them with remedies they could often grow in their own gardens or gather in the wild. It was an entirely different work from the Memorabilium aliquot ... that Mizauld had published in 1554, but succeeded to and expanded on his Arcanorum naturae sylvula (1555).
With occasional contemporary and later manuscript notes and an 18th-century(?) library stamp on the title-page (partly erased), not affecting the printed image. With 1 leaf nearly detached, a water stain in the last 5 quires, and occasional (mostly marginal) slight browning or minor stains, but still generally in good condition. With the sewing supports broken at the front hinge and minor damage to the headbands, but binding otherwise good. Brüning 369; Durling 3178 note & 3187 note; Rosenthal, Bibliotheca Magica, 2987 (incompl.); Thorndike VI, p. 216; USTC 158149; Wellcome 4362.