Thomas Norton | |
|---|---|
 Illumination of Thomas Norton from a contemporary manuscript of theOrdinal, likely written under his supervision.[1] | |
| Born | before 1436 |
| Died | 30 November 1513 |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | Poet,alchemist |
| Notable work | The Ordinal of Alchemy |
| Relatives | Samuel Norton |
Thomas Norton (b. <1436 – d. c. 1513) was anEnglishpoet andalchemist best known for his 1477 alchemical poem,The Ordinal of Alchemy.
This letter receiving, I hasted full sore
To ride to my master an hundred miles and more,
And there Forty dayes continually,
I learned all the seacrets of Alkimy
Thomas Norton was born to a merchant, mayor and sheriff ofBristol, called Walter Norton (fl. 1392-1421). In theOrdinal, he says he was one of the three alchemists in England who worked together at the time of the change of the coin under Sir Hugh Bryce (1464) and that he was a full alchemist at barely 28, which means that he cannot have been born after 1436. Norton was present to sign the transfer of some property in Wiltshire in 1454 and must have been of age by then, so an earlier date of birth is more likely. He was born "undir a crosse in thende of shirys three", possibly inColerne, on the border of Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire.[2] Thomas Norton was a member of the important Bristol merchant family of Norton.[2][3][4]
Norton is believed to have studied under one of the most prominent alchemists of his time,George Ripley, writing that he "learned all the secrets of Alkimy" through his words.[3][5] Norton is known to have studied alchemy in the service ofKing Edward IV, becoming a gentleman of Edward'sprivy chamber, past at least 1466. Perhaps to compensate for being partly cut out of his father's will, Norton began theOrdinal in 1477.[6]
Norton was rewarded with land confiscated from the rebels uponEdward IV's return from exile in 1471. In March 1479,[6] Norton accused the incumbentmayor of Bristol of high treason, surrounding an argument concerning the legacy of his father as the mayor.[2] Norton appealed to the king for support but was forced into silence.[6] Norton died on 30 November 1513[4]
Norton's great grandson,Samuel Norton, also became an alchemist - writing of his great grandfather in his workThe Key of Alchemy.[7]
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The Ordinal of Alchemy is an alchemical poem composed of 3,102 lines of irregularly rhymedMiddle English.[8]
In the beginning of the poem, Norton lambasts the naivete of others who have bastardized the ideas of the ancient masters of alchemy. He tells us to read his book multiple times to get the best out of it, hinting at the esoteric hiding of his name in how he describes that "chaunging of some one sillable May make this Boke unprofitable". He also gives us something of a biography, professing that he began his study of alchemy at a young age and learned "the seacrets of Alkimy" from the adept alchemistGeorge Ripley. He describes that on two occasions he made an "elixir of life" only for it to be stolen away from him by the greed of others - first by his valet, and the second time by a merchant's wife.
Notably, the book contains several verses satirising certain alchemical or hermetic connections to the Middle English poetGeoffrey Chaucer, who had writtenThe Canon's Yeoman's Tale, a work satirizing alchemists. Inadvertently, this played a large part in the Renaissance conception of Chaucer as an alchemist, which was later abandoned as it was found to be untrue.[8]
The book also contains the first supposed description of a dampers, describing Norton's construction of a furnace with no fewer than sixty temperatures it could attain at a single time.[5]
In 1617Michael Maier in hisSymbola Aureae Mensae, identifies Norton as such:
THOMAS NORTONUS, of Bristol, master of the perfect art, (as seen in two initial syllables of each chapter of the book, which describes this art) well known; wrote English poems, very sharp, not yet published.[9]
Similarly, in 1652Elias Ashmole in hisTheatrum Chemicum Britannicum identifies Norton:
From the first word of the Proeme, and the Initiall letters of the six following Chapters [...] we may collect the authors Name and place of Residence: For those letters, (together with the first line of the seventh Chapter) speak thus [...].[10]
Both of these men were drawing from the rather esoterically hidden message found in theOrdinal - where, by connecting the syllables from the first lines of the first 7 chapters of the book, a message is found. This message being: "To Mais Nor Ton Of Brise To", or as Maier and Ashmole interpreted it "Thomas Norton of Bristol".[2][11]
For where quick sentencce shall seame not to be
Ther may wise men finde selcouthe previtye;
And chaunging of some one sillable
May make this Boke unprofitable
Therefore trust not one Reading or twaine
But twenty tymes it would be over sayne;
Norton was first identified as the author of the 'Ordinal' in 1617 and has since become the widespread identification of the work's author. However, in 1932, two scholars, M. Nierenstein and P. F. Chapman, criticised this identification (which they named "the Maier-Ashmole hypothesis") under the grounds that, beyond the esoteric link drawn by Maier and Ashmole, very little contemporary evidence seemed to link Norton to theOrdinal.[12] This criticism received little attention in its time and a 1957 article by historian J. Reidy roundly criticised the article, arguing conclusively in favour of the 'Maier-Ashmole hypothesis' by citing various contemporary pieces of evidence that imply that Norton was a significant alchemist and very likely wrote theOrdinal.[2]
Norton'sOrdinal is reported to exist in 32 manuscripts.[8] A very early and beautifullyilluminated manuscript of theOrdinal exists in theBritish Library (BL Add MS 10302) made during Norton's lifetime and likely under his supervision; it contains many illustrations ofalchemical processes and a portrait of Norton himself (see above).[1] A copy from the 16th century is currently owned by the National Library of Israel. This copy holds an inscription noticing that this manuscript was given in 1837 byBaron Bolland toC. J. Blomfield D.D., Bishop of London.[13]
Thomas Norton'sOrdinal became a very influential alchemical text in the 17th century, with itsLatin translation inMichael Maier'sTripus Aureus. It was reprinted in English as the premier text inElias Ashmole'sTheatrum Chemicum Britannicum, along with various engravings of illuminations from Ashmole's manuscript of the work (see below), perhaps based on the British Library MS.[10][11]
THOMAS NORTONVS, Bristouiensis, in arte perfectus magister, (vt habent initiales syllabae illius libri capitum, quem de hac arte condidit) agnoscitur; Scripsit rythmis Anglicanis, valde acutis, nondum edidis
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