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A collection of alchemical and chemical receipts, followed by other technical and domestic receipts, a short tract on the virtues of human blood, and of rosemary, etc.

1 volume 28 ff. last 2 bl.. 4to. 211/2 x 151/2 cm. Unbound.

Arte dell' alchimia

Bartholomew of Salerno and others, practical medical treatises.

Written in a semi-current gothic hand 42-48 lines to a page. Ff.61-70 are by a different and more formal hand: 51 lines to a page. Headings, initials and paragraph marks in red. In the margin of f.68 are three small pen-drawings of a Bain-marie [?].

Note that at a later date the manuscript has been refoliated, ff.1-59, in pencil in the bottom right corner of each recto. It is important to note that the foliation cited below in this description is based not on the original foliation in ink at the top of each recto, but on the foliation in pencil in the bottom right hand corner of each recto. This is because some original folios are now wanting (ff.9, 10, and 19-26). 

Contents:

1. ff. 1r-8v Anonymous, treatise on the virtues of rosemary, etc.

f. 1r Nym die plum des rosmarin und pint sy in ein leynen tuch ... f. 8v ... Als lert ypocras Ir ist auch das gercht wang grozzer dann.

2. ff. 9r-18r Anonymous, treatise on herbal remedies

f. 9r Hie ist ze merken von manigerlay chraut wie man sy nutzen sol von erst von wegreich. Wem des haubt we tut ... f. 18r ... und das puleur sol die fraw in wazzer tuken.

3. ff. 18r-49v Bartholomew of Salerno, Practica

f. 18r Dicz puch tichtet ain maister der hies bartholomeus das nam er zu kriechen in ainem puche das hies practica ... f. 49v ... und sol dem menschen dem nichts nier werden etc. Anno domini 1429 sabato proximo ante festum nativitatis gloriose virginis marie. Finis adest fere scriptor vult precium habere. Si melius scripsissem nomen meum imposuissem Vero male scribo nomen meum imponere nolo. Deo gracias Amen.

4. ff. 50r-59r Bartholomew of Salerno, Practica

f. 50r Dicz puch teichtet ain maister der hiesz bartolomeus daz namer dacz kriechen awfz ainen puch haiset practica ... f. 59r ... Und pint ez auff daz gelitt ez ist bewert etc. Per manus Geovii wincklar Mayniein.

5. f. 59v Receipts

1 volume 28 x 18 cm. On vellum: modern stamped vellum binding. Originally there appear to have been 70 numbered folios but in the manuscript's current state original folios numbered ff. 9, 10, 19-26, 50 are now wanting; first left and the verso of the last rubbed.

Bartholomew of Salerno and others, practical medical treatises

Medical miscellany in Italian and Latin

Contents

1. ff. 1r-14r Michael Scot, Consegli dei poveri infermi

f. 1r Lo libro ['tesauro' superscribed] di consig[li] di poveri infermi e utile per zeschaduno medicho segondo che mete michel scoto scoto astrologo del Imperator fredricho. Ora signiori voy dovete sapire ... f. 14r ... cun uno pecho de farina de orzo molto valera. Qui se finise el texoro.

2. ff. 14v-17v Simon of Genoa, Pandectae, extract

f. 14v Qui se comenza de la patricha de Mo. Simone. Ora basta ati al presente de medecine ... f. 17v ... cose fane polvere e meti in la praza. Finise la praticha Mo. Simonis.

3. ff. 18r-22v John Damascene, extracts on unguents, in Latin

f. 18r Unguentum de adipibus ... f. 22v ... despumate partes tres fiat ut supra. Explicit liber liber [sic] secundum Mesue.

4. ff. 23r-25r Miscellaneous medical receipts, in Latin and Italian

5. ff. 26r-29r Nicholas Praepositus, Synonima

f. 26r Incipit sinon[im]a. Po. Artemisia est matricaria ... f. 29r Zenziber est aplimitram idem. Finita sunt sinon[im]a. deo gratias. Amen.

6. ff. 30r-v Table of herbs, index for no. 12 below

f. 30r Herba ariola cap. 1 ... f. 30v Serpilium c. 147.

7. ff. 31r-46v Miscellaneous medical receipts, mainly in Italian with a few in Latin

8. ff. 46v-47v Anonymous, Del rosmarino

f. 46v Qui chomenza le virtude che dio dimostro del Rosmarino ... f. 47v ... et uso della predicta decotcione per tuto che molto perfeta.

9. ff. 48r-52v Charms, in Latin and Italian.

10. ff. 53r-56v Incomplete work on nativities, signs of the zodiac etc.

11. ff. 57r-67v Collection of medical receipts

12. ff. 68r-73v Alphabetical compendium of herbs

f. 68r Incomplete with leaves wanting in the middle (vid. sup.) The last herb is numbered 147. Serpilium ... 73v Vesige et distilacioni urine. Finis.

13. ff. 74r-76v Miscellaneous medical receipts

1 volume 76 ll. 4to. 20 1/2 x 15 cm. Modern boards. Reckoning by an early foliation, the following leaves are wanting between fol. 9 and 10, 1 leaf; between fol. 52 and 53, 2 leaves; between fol. 56 and 57, 3 leaves; between fol. 58 and 59, two leaves; between fol. 60 and 61, 5 leaves: between fol. 68 and 69, 2 leaves; between fol. 69 and 70, four leaves; between fol. 76 and fol. 1, three leaves. The MS. has been wrongly rebound and the present ff. 53-76 should have been placed at the beginning, as these are foliated in the old numeration 3-42. The present ff. 1-52 are in the old foliation 46-69 + 28 unnumbered. A new foliation 1-76 has been added in pencil. Lower corners cut away throughout; some leaves stained. Some capitals, paragraph marks and headings in red.

Medical miscellany in Italian and Latin (Miscellanea Medica XXV)

Collection of medical tracts in verse and prose

Contents

f. 1r too faded to make out

1. ff. 1v-3v Ars phlebotomandi, in 90 lines of verse

f. 1v Maystris that usyth b[lode lettyng] and ther wyth gete th[eir levyng] ... f. 3v So that oure lorde be helpyng that al keep in gouernyng. Explicit ars fleobotumandi secundum Cantabrigiam et Oxoniam.

2. ff. 3v-4r List of days for bleeding, in Latin

f. 3v, line 13 Memorandum quod tres dies sunt in anno in quibus si quis minutus fuerit ... f. 4r ... nec febres pacieris quamdiu vixeris.

3. ff. 4v-13v Miscellaneous charms and receipts in Middle English

f. 4v Here be gynnyth a charme for to staunche blod ... f. 13v ... and a cancre is euer more wyth on thrul.

4. ff. 14r-20v Gardener(?), On the virtues of rosemary, in 272 lines of verse

f. 14r To god that is owre best leche Owre hele holy we be teche ... f. 20v ... that he ghyf vs part of hys lyght Amen so bedde we snelle. Explicit Garddener.

5. ff. 21r-22v Numeration tables, Latin and Arabic, 1-9,000

6. ff. 23r-24r Medical receipts by early 16th century hands, in English

 ff. 24v-25r blank

7. ff. 25v-26v Smerthwaytt, List of herbs

f. 25v Here begynneth the table for to fynde the namys off erbys afor sayde (col. 1) Afodyll ... f. 26v, col. 2 Strawbery. Finis quod Smerthwaytt tenet palmer [?] londini.

8. ff. 27v-38v Medical receipts by several 16th century hands, in English

f. 27v Contra dolorem ... f. 38v drynke the same possett [...] 

f. 39r blank except for some now-illegible scribblings

9. ff. 39v-40v Antidotarie of helthe (c. 1575), in verse

f. 39v The Antidotari of helth. Ffor helthe of bodye fever from cold in the hede. Eate no raw meate ... f. 40v To all in different Ritches diatorie, finis.

10. ff. 41r-44v Medical receipts by several 16th century hands, in English

f. 41r Yf a ... f. 44v ... shall dye.

ff. 45-48 blank

1 volume 48 ff. (last 4 blank). 8vo. 14 x 10 cm. The first 22 leaves are vellum; the leaves that follow are paper. Modern morocco binding. The outer upper corners of the first 3 leaves are defective, the recto of the first leaf is badly rubbed, and some leaves are stained. The first section is written in a neat gothic hand, 20 lines to a page; ornamental capitals in blue and red, with marginal decorations; other initials in red, touched with yellow; paragraph marks and underlinings in red.

Collection of medical tracts in verse and prose, mostly in Middle English (Leech-Books, III)

Il tesoro della Sanita del Tepar ras minomasi cupanico, e dal medesino esperimentati, cavati da un suo libretto da Androfillo Sanatele. [Followed by] Trattato dell' eccellenza del Rosomarino e sua qualita, tradotto da Spagnuolo in lingua Italiana dal libro de trattati di Girolamo Corti Spagnuolo.

1 volume 4 bl. ll. + 2 ll. + 128 pp. 8vo. 14 1/2 x 11 cm. Modern half pig-skin binding.

Androfillo Sanatele

Commonplace book containing practical and theoretical medical treatises (Miscellanea Medica XXXVIII)

Contents

1. f. 1r Quotation from Galen's 'De ingenio sanitatis', etc.

2. f. 2r Incantation in Catalan against enemies, and for safety and prosperity.

3. f. 2r-v Poem in Latin

Incipit: 'Juste Judex ihesu christe rex regum et domine qui cum patre regnas...'

Explicit: 'Tibi virtus et perennis honor et perpetuus'.

4. ff. 2v-3r Pseudo-Jesus Christ, Epistola ad Abgarum

Incipit: 'Incipit epistola saluatoris domini nostri ihesu Christi quam propria manu sua scripsit ad abagarum [sic] Regem dicens'

Explicit: '...ego tecum sum dixit dominus Domine et sit per populum tuum benedictio tua.'

5. ff. 3r-5v Prayers in Latin and Catalan.

6. f. 5v Latin invocation to St. Nicaise 'contra glandulas'.

7. ff. 7r-26v Copho, Modus medendi, abbreviated and incomplete

This is printed in Renzi's Collectio Salernitana vol. IV, pp. 415-438

For more information on this tract see Luke E. Demaitre, Doctor Bernard de Gordon, Professor and Practitioner (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1980), p. 95.

Incipit: 'In medendis corporibus et maxime purgandis sepe variis molestamur incommodis'.

Explicit: 'Triffera calida est' (struck through).

8. ff. 28r-30r Arnold of Villanova, Regimen conferens memoriae

A medical treatise for the maintenance of a good memory

On this tract see Thorndike, Catalogue of Incipits. col. 258

On the art of memory in the Middle Ages see e.g. The Medieval Craft of Memory: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures ed. Mary Carruthers and Jan M. Ziolkowski (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003).

9. ff. 30r-36v Petrus Hispanus, Liber duodecim aquarum, extract

Incipit: 'Hec sunt aque dictaminis Magistri Petri yspani'.

Explicit: 'que non escripsi etc. quia sufficit'.

10. ff. 43r-52v Medical receipts in Latin; with some in Catalan on the last three leaves, including an invocation for healing limbs 'Per tranquadura dossors o de cama o braz o altro loch'. The verso of the last leaf contains Catalan medical receipts by a different and later hand.

11. f. 62r 'Sphera Pythagorae', attributed to Donatus, with directions for use in Latin and planetary weekdays in Catalan.

This is a very common onomancy for predicting whether a sick person will live or die, the outcome of a duel or battle, or anything else requiring a binary yes/no answer. To operate it you take the name of the person in question, take the numbers that correspond to the letters of their name, and add into a total. You add the number of the day of the moon on which they first fell sick, and the number corresponding to the planetary weekday. You divide this grand total by 30 and if the remainder is sought in the top of the 'Sphere' diagram the patient will live, if not, they will die. See e.g. Linda Ehrsam Voigts, 'The Latin and Middle English Prose Texts on the Sphere of Life and Death in Harley 3719', The Chaucer Review 21.2 (1986).

On the 'Sphere of Donatus' and Catalan onomancies see John Scott Lucas, Astrology and Numerology in Medieval and Early Modern Catalonia: the Tractat de prenostication de la vida natural dels homens (Leiden: Brill, 2003), p. 51 and more generally.

12. f. 64v Receipts for colours in Catalan and Latin

1 volume 64 ff. (ff. 1v, 6, 27, 37-42, 53-61, and 62v-64r blank). Upper portion of the first three and last two leaves damaged. The work by Copho is written in double columns 30 lines to a column; four leaves of this work are wanting. 4to. 21 1/2 x 14 1/2 cm. Contemporary rough calf binding, leather ties wanting. With two fragments of a 14th century Hebrew manuscript on vellum, inserted as backing to the front and back covers.  According to Prof. S. Birnbaum of the London School of Oriental Studies, the fragments of Hebrew MS. forming part of the covers contain Rabbinical Responses probably written in Spain in the 14th century.

Commonplace book containing practical and theoretical medical treatises (Miscellanea Medica XXXVIII)

Medical miscellany, in Italian

Written in a clear rounded gothic hand, in double column of 43-53 line to a column. Initials in alternate blue and red, headings in red. In the continuous foliation f.23 has accidentally been missed out. A pagination sequence is also contained in the volume in the top right corner of every recto and top left hand corner of every verso. The catalogue description is based on the foliation not the pagination.

Contents

1. ff. 1r-14r John of Wales, Breviloquium de virtutibus. Translated by Peter of Reggio

f. 14r Secondo. che dice. salamone net XXO. capitolo. del libro de proverbi ... Qui comincia, lo brieve loquio di frate giouani galico del ordine de frati minori. de le virtude de principi. et filosofi antichi. lo primo capitolo e de la gusticia ... f. 13v ... chonpiuto e lo breviloquio di frate giovani galico del ordine de frati [f. 14r] minori de le vertude de li principi antichi. deo gracias.

2. ff. 14r-21r John of Wales, De vitis et dictis philosophorum. Translated by Peter of Reggio

f. 14r Qui chomenza lo libro di moti di filosofi trati di gramaticha. in volgar per maistro pietro da regio medico in fisica. Capitulo 10. La filosofia e amor di sapiencia e desiderio ... f. 21r Qui finisse questo libro de nomi editi de sopra diti filosofi. deo gracias.

3. ff. 21r-25v Pseudo-Aristotle, Physiognomia. Translated by Peter of Reggio

f. 21r Qui si chomenza la sienzia de la filosomia sechondo aristotile et secondo almansore et secondo filon traslatata per maestro pietro da regio dotore in medicina et in prima e lo prolego a dichiarare la dita sienzia. Sechondo che dice. aristotile nel libro de li animali ... f. 25v ... quando, vogliono, lo coito chome. lo galina. alato. el. gallo. Note that 23 is missing from the foliation, hence 22r/v is followed by 24r/v. 

4. ff. 25v-35v Peter of Reggio, Antidotarius

f. 25v Secondo che dice galieno nel primo libro della sanita ... f. 35v ... prendane una onzainanzi. lo sospeto chon laqua freda.

5. ff. 35v-37v Aristotle, Ethicorum epitome

f. 35v Incipit. liber. hetice. aristotilis. In nomine domini amen. ogni arte et ogni dotrina ... f. 37v ... le deletacione et alegreze le quale non sono. debitamente. fate.

6. ff. 37v-38v Anonymous, Riceta contra reumatismo

f. 37v Questa sie una riceta abreviata la quale se maestro ... comminciando al capo rematicho e per vivere debitamente come si conviene e per medicine entro ricevere overo di fuori aprosimare. Il debito vivere e in sie cossa primieramente ... f. 38v ... con buono vino la sua pressa sia sechondo la chonpresione del huomo.

7. ff. 39r-83r Aldobrandino of Siena, Libro de la fisica

f. 39r Dio per sua gran potanza tuto el mondo stabelita ... Che. e fisicha. Capitollo 1o.. Percio che noi avemo dito di sopra che noi volemo parlare dalchuna partita di fisicha ... f. 83r ... si sono quegli de li ochi e del visagio. Qui finisse il libro de la fisicha chel maestro aldonbrandino sopra scrito chompuosse in lingua francescha de la sanitade del corpo e di ziaschuno menbro per esse translatado di francesscho in italian volgare negliani domini Mcccx nel meze di magio ischritto e volgarizato fue lora prima benedeto longo quondam christofori rinovato et assenpiato fue nel ano domini Mccce XXX Veneciis.

8. ff. 83r-v Pseudo-Aristotle, Secreta secretorum, extracts

f. 83r Dice il filosofo nel libro di segreto di segreti il quale egli mando ad alesandro chel corpo de luomo si divide in quatro partite ... f. 83v ... e provato medicamento di manjiare charne di becho choto.

9. ff. 83v-84r Miscellaneous receipts

10. f. 84r-v Anonymous, Le virtu del rosmarino

1 volume i + 84 + i ff. 29 1/2 x 22 cm. Unbound. Some margins slightly frayed.

Medical miscellany, in Italian (Miscellanea Medica XXX)

Medical and magical miscellany

Contents

1. ff. 16r-30v Theobaldus Lonetus, De pestilentia

f. 16r Tractatus de pestilentia Theobaldi Loneti de Aurigneo. Cum ego Theobaldus Loneti de aurigneo bisuntinensis diocesis provincie burgundi essem Bononie civitatis Italie ... f. 30v ... et in multis aliis passionibus probavi sudorem multum prodesse. Finis.

2. ff. 30v-57v Plague remedies and other medical receipts in Latin and Italian, including charms against 'Morbus caducus' (ff. 54v-57r).

3. ff. 58r-61v Arnold of Villanova, De vinis

f. 58r De vini compositi virtutibus. Quoniam vinum album inter cetera alia ... f. 61v cum que iam dicta sunt sufficiant.

4. ff. 62r-63v Anonymous, De virtutibus rosmarini

f. 62r De virtutibus Rosmarini. Hec sunt virtutes Rosmarini. XXV. numero. 1. Primo recipe flores eius et liga in panno lini ... f. 63v ... et bibat pthysicus/et liberabitur. Explicit.

5. ff. 64r-88r Arnold of Villanova, De vinis, continued

f. 64r Ad opilacionem Epatis Splenis et ictericiam. Vinum contra opilacionem ... f. 88r ... et obturetur bene vas vini. et erit muscatellum.

6. ff. 88v-96v Theodoric of Cervia, De aqua vitae

f. 88v De virtutibus Aque Vite. Virtutes Aque vite sunt ut infra annotatur. In prima distillacione ardet et non cumburrit pannum ... f. 96v Multa quidem et alia utilia. humane nature procurat. per gratiam altissimi domini nostri yhesu christi. amen.

7. f. 97r-99r Arnold of Villanova, Epistola de sanguine humano

f. 97r Epistola magistri Arnaldi de Villanova ad magistrum Jacobum de Tolleto. De prestancia et virtutibus aque humani sanguinis. Magister Jacobe amice carissime. dudum me rogasti. ut tibi secretum ... f. 99r ... quemadmodum est in distillacionibus ultimis Alkimie. explicit. Nota de sanguine isto humano quod permiscendo ipsum recentem ... Et sic faciam 3o et erit pro terrio elemento. et hoc probabo.

8. ff. 99v-100v Anonymous, Prognosticatio de vindemia, etc.

f. 99v Pronosticon de vindemia. Vincenti festo si Sol radiat memor est ... f. 100v [De virtute herbe chelydonie] Si autem flet. tunc evadet. Followed by an additional recipe.

9. f. 101r-105v Anonymous, Cyranides, extract from Book II

f. 101r Extractus de quodam Libro qui vocatur Liber Ellementorum [sic] de capra foemina. Heges. 1. capra foemina omnibus nota que oraculum dat ... f. 105v [De camelo] ... Epilensiam sanat. quod est admirabile et excellentissimum.

A modern edition of the Latin Kiranides (as opposed to the Greek) can be found in L. Delatt's Textes latins et vieux francais relatifs aux Cyranides (Paris, 1942).

1 volume ff. 16-105. 4to. 21 x 14 1/2 cm. Modern vellum binding. The first 15 ff. and the end of the last work are wanting. Margins slightly worn and stained. Written mainly by two different semi-current humanistic hands: 21-25 lines to a page.

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Arte dell' alchimia

Bartholomew of Salerno and others, practical medical treatises

Medical miscellany in Italian and Latin (Miscellanea Medica XXV)

Collection of medical tracts in verse and prose, mostly in Middle English (Leech-Books, III)

Androfillo Sanatele

Commonplace book containing practical and theoretical medical treatises (Miscellanea Medica XXXVIII)

Medical miscellany, in Italian (Miscellanea Medica XXX)

Medical and magical miscellany (Miscellanea Medica IV)

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Arte dell' alchimia

Bartholomew of Salerno and others, practical medical treatises

Medical miscellany in Italian and Latin (Miscellanea Medica XXV)

Collection of medical tracts in verse and prose, mostly in Middle English (Leech-Books, III)

Androfillo Sanatele

Commonplace book containing practical and theoretical medical treatises (Miscellanea Medica XXXVIII)

Medical miscellany, in Italian (Miscellanea Medica XXX)

Medical and magical miscellany (Miscellanea Medica IV)

Stay in the know

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