Compendium of veterinary medicine

Contents

1. ff. 1r-127v Vegetius, Ars veterinaria, in Italian

Title: 'Larte dellas medicina delli animali non n/e la piu vile che sia...'

Incipit f. 2v: 'Inchomincia le robriche dogni inferta'

Explicit: 'Alle ginocchia tagli sistaro un onzia daceto e sale pusillo onzie vi di rame arso e sinopia pusillo. Conpiuto el libro di Vigetio dio gracias Amen. scritto di mano d[a]ngiolo di martino macci malischalcho insulla piaza di signori di firenzie a onore e laude sia di misser Yesus christo e della e dell sua gloriosa madre madonna santa Maria el beatomisser santo francischo e tutti i santi e sante della chorte del paradiso. Amen'

2. f. 128r Veterinary receipts by the same hand as no. 1

<-p>3. ff. 128v-129r Veterinary receipts in a different hand

4. ff. 130r-171v Giordano Ruffo, Libro dell' infirmata de' cavalli

Title: 'Questo libro si chiama Giodano rosso fatto a petitione dalle Sandro Re el quale tratta de tutte le [in]fermitade de chaualli si naturali e acedentali che possono auenire e le lloro Remedi et cure dessi chaualli.'

Incipit: '[C]oncio sia cosa che tra tulli gli animali dal sommo creatore...'

Explicit: '...e stemjpara insiemi e po i ungui el chauallo e sara guarito.'

5. ff. 172r-173r Veterinary receipts by the same hand.

6. ff. 173v Veterinary receipts by a different hand. [cf. ff. 128v-129r].

f. 174r-v blank.

f. 175r 'Lundi iii du mois de may commenchay a escripre che liure lan lx' [1460 ?], by a third hand, which may be that of the scribe using his own personal script.

7. f. 175r Receipt for an unguent by the second hand. The receipts in this hand include some charms: that on fol. 41v being an incantation to gain a woman's Favour, with a magical inscription, and those on fol. 128v, 129 which are illustrated by rough pen-drawings of amulets.

1460

1 volume 175 ff. folio. 29 x 20 cm. Original stamped calf binding over wooden boards, much worn. Two leather and metal clasps wanting, as also 5 out of the ten brass bosses on the outside of the covers. Lower margin of the penultimate leaf cut away: lower margin of the first leaf reparied. The last leaf is pasted down on to the cover. Written in a neat book hand 27-29 lines to a page. Ornamental initial in red and blue, with marginal decorations on fol. 1: other capitals and headings in red. Produced in Florence.

Purchased 1930.

The second work, in spite of the attribution to 'Rosso', and the reference to King Alexander, is the treatise by Giordano Ruffo, Chief Veterinarian to Friderick II of Sicilly in the first half of the 13th century The version in this MS. contains only 53 Chapters, though some of the MS. have as many as 148. The work of Vegetius was first publilshed in Latin at Basel in 1528. An Italian translation was published at Venice in 1543.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).

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