Harley MS 1628

Collection of Medical Glossaries, Texts, and Recipes; 15th cent., 2nd half. Latin and Middle English. Copies. The volume, entitled 'Dispensatory', is a compilation of glossaries and texts on simple drugs put together by or for the use of an English apothecary possibly around 1483 (date on f. 3v). They include: a) Two glossaries of simple drugs (ff. 4-14, 15-22v; art. 2); - b) A dispensatory or collection of medical recipes (ff. 25-97v; art. 3); - c) Pseudo-Serapion, i.e. Ibn Wāfid, Treatise on simple drugs, Book Two (ff. 99-153v; art. 4). The texts are interspersed by medical recipes written by different hands, including a number of recipes against the plague (ff. 28v, 33v, 34, 96v, 98v), one recipe for a cordial (f. 3v) dated 31 July 1483, and recipes prescribed to named English individuals, including King Edward IV (r. 1471-1483; ff. 22v, 29, 34, 35v, 68, 78v, 98v, 154, 154v, 155, 156) and members of his court. The date '1491' added on f. 130 (upper margin). The name 'Johannes Whelar' (f. 153v) and a monogram (ff. i verso, 155, 156, 157-158) possibly related to him. The date and circumstances of the arrival of the MS. in the Harleian collection are unknown. The volume is mentioned neither in C. E. Wright and R. C. Wright, The Diary of Humfrey Wanley (London, 1966), nor C. E. Wright, Fontes Harleiani (London, 1972). Owned by Edward Harley (1689-1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, and possibly by his father Robert Harley (1661-1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician. Bequeathed with the Harleian library to Edward's widow, countess Henrietta, née Cavendish Holles (1694-1755), during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (1715-1785), duchess of Portland. Sold with the other Harley manuscripts by the countess and the duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum. The Harleian manuscripts became part of the collections of the British Library on its establishment in 1973. Harley shelfmarks (f. i) in brown ink '91.B.12 / 1628', and '2/III C' in pencil. The MS. is described in the A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts (London, 1808-1812), ii, p. 164, with list of of various dignitaries' names and related recipes. The cataloguing of the MS. was funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Parchment; ff. i+159+i (paper). Modern foliation in pencil ff. '1-158' (followed here, repeating no. 12; f. 158v blank). circa 330 x 140mm; oblong. Composite MS. comprising 5 codicological units (ff. 1-3 and 155-158, 4-14, 15-24, 25-98, 99-154) divided into 16 gatherings mounted on guards.

First unit (ff. 1-3, 155-158; art. 1): two gatherings of 4 leaves, unruled, written by various scribes in highly cursive English hands (Cursiva Currens).

Secont unit (ff. 4-14; art. 2): gatherings: i⁸, ii⁴, ruled in brown ink only for bounding lines (single vertical bounding lines) for single columns of 33-40 lines, text above top line, written space circa 227-230 x 75mm, written in black ink in an English cursive book script (Cursiva Libraria - Secretary), space (1 line) left blank for the first of each letter of the alphabetical series, with guide letters.

Third unit (ff. 15-24; art. 2): single gathering: i^10-2 (ninth and tenth missing), ruled in metal point only for bounding lines (single vertical bounding lines) for single columns of 46-47 lines, text above top line, written space circa 247 x 75mm, written in black ink in a formal English cursive book script (Cursiva Formata), space (2 lines) left blank for the first letter of each alphabetical series, with guide letters.

Fourth unit (ff. 25-98; art. 3): gatherings: i²⁰ (tenth and eleventh added at centre), ii¹⁸, iii²⁰, iv¹⁶, with horizontal catchwords at centre of lower margin of last versos, unruled, single columns of 40-46 lines, written space circa 275 x 75mm, written in black ink in a formal English cursive book script (Cursiva Formata), with additional texts in more cursive hands, large initials (2-3 lines; ff. 25, 25v, 33, 36, 38, 49v, 58v, 59, 61, 63, 65, 69, 77, 79) in red.

Fifth unit (ff. 99-154; art. 4): original medieval foliation in dark brown ink 'i-iiii, 1-51' (ff. 99-153) possibly datable around 1491 (see date on f. 130), gatherings: i-vii⁸, with horizontal catchwords within cartouches in the lower margin of last versos, ruled in metal point only for bounding lines (single vertical bounding lines) for single columns of 50-58 lines, text above top line, written space circa 242-248 x 73-77mm, written in black ink by two English scribes in cursive book scripts (ff. 99-138v, Cursiva Formata; ff. 139-153v, Cursiva Libraria - Secretary), with additional texts in more cursive hands, large initial (3-lines, f. 99) in red with cadel decoration, space for initials (2 lines; passim) left blank with guide letters, rubrics in red with occasional large initial with cadel decoration. British Library binding with Harley arms and motto gilt-tooled at centre of covers.

Contents as follows:

First unit:

1. ff. 1-3, 155-158, and passim. Medical notes and recipes; 15th cent., last quarter. Latin. Copies. Medical notes and recipes for the use of specific individuals, many belonging to the court of King Edward IV, written by different hands in any available blank space. Title (f. 1) 'Aqua imperiale', inc. 'Recipe tanazete?'.

Second and third units:

2. ff. 4-14, 15-22v. Glossaria Medica; 15th cent., 2nd half. Latin translation. Copies. Two glossaries similar to that accompanying the Breviarium medicinae or Practica Serapionis by Yūhannā ibn Sarābiyūn or Serapion the Elder (second half of the ninth cent) in the Latin translation by Gerardus Cremonensis or Gerard of Cremona (circa 1114-1187). Inc. (f. 4) '[A]sases? id est punctus rudis / que sint in pulisis / morsus', expl. (f. 13v) 'Zezi a vitolum / Explicit Sinonimum / Serapionis'; inc. (f. 15) '[A]lephius id est psilium', expl. (f. 22v) 'Zuffeserand id est radix mandragore'. The texts are interspersed and followed (ff. 14-14v, 22v-24v) by recipes for specific patients in different hands. A copy of Serapion's glossary in Harley 1914 (ff. 128-131v; imperfect). See relevant description for Serapion's work and related bibliographical details.

Fourth unit:

3. ff. 25-97v. Dispensatorium; 15th cent., 2nd half. Latin and Middle English. Copy. A collection of medical recipes, alphabetically arranged. Title (f. 25) 'Aqua socialis', inc. 'Recipe pinpernell / Caprifolij', expl. (f. 97v) 'Yera Constantini / Mellis spumati quod suffe'. The text is interspersed and followed (ff. 97v-98v) by other recipes in different hands; among others (ff. 34, 34v) four recipes in Middle English, one of which (f. 34) 'Pro rege Edwardo / aqua vite', and a second (f. 34v) for 'Monsenior hary dwke de bokingham'. The Middle English recipes mentioned in L. E. Voigts and P. D. Kurtz, Scientific and Medical Writings in Old and Middle English: An Electronic Reference, CD-ROM, 2nd ed. (Ann Arbor, MI, 2006), no. 6512.00.

Fifth unit:

4. ff. 99-153v. Pseudo-Serapion, i.e. Ibn Wāfid, Liber aggregatus in medicinis simplicibus, Book ii; 15th cent., 2nd half. Latin translation. Copy. A copy of Book Two of the Latin translation made around 1290 by Simon Januensis (Simon of Genoa) and Abrāhām ben Shēm-Tōb of Tortosa of an Arabic treatise on simple drugs traditionally attributed to a Pseudo-Serapion (also called Serapion the Younger), but recently identified as the Kitāb al-Adwiya al-mufrada (Book on Simple Drugs) by Ibn Wāfid (d. 1067): see P. Dilg, 'The Liber aggregatus in medicinis simplicibus of Pseudo-Serapion: An Influential Work of Medical Arabism', in Islam and the Italian Renaissance, ed. C. Burnett and A. Contadini (London, 1999; Warburg Institute Colloquia, 5), pp. 221-231, with further bibliography on Simon of Genoa and Abrāhām ben Shēm-Tōb; Ibn Wāfid (m. 460/1067). Kitāb al-Adwiya al-mufrada (Libro de los medicamentos simples), edición, traducción ... L. F. Aguirre de Cárcer, 2 vols. (Madrid, 1995); P. E. Pormann, 'Yūhannā ibn Sarābiyūn: Further Studies into the Transmission of his Works', Arabic sciences and philosophy, 14.2 (2004), pp. 236-238. Rubric (f. 99) 'Incipit prima tabula primi tracta/tus libri Serapionis', table of contents inc. '[D]e ablucione litargiri et ad / ustione eius et electione et / sunt .vj. modi', rubric (f. 99v) 'Incipit secunda tabula secundi tractatus / libri Servitoris [sic]', inc. '[M]odus faciendi stipticum oleum / et servandi ipsum secundum doctrinam dy', rubric (f. 101v) 'Incipit tabula tercij tractatus / libri Servitoris [sic]', inc. '[F]orma comburendi omnes species / Conchilium' expl. (f. 102v) '[F]orma faciendi salem armoniacum', rubric 'Incipit liber .secundus. libri Servitoris [sic] / Albucasin ben telf ben abens azarin / translatus a Simone Januenum [sic] / interpretatore abraham Iudei / Tortuosiensis', inc. '[D]ixit aggregator huius ope/ris postquam collegi hunc / librum', expl. (f. 153v) 'salem que est in ea cum faci/litate et serva etcetera / Completus est liber secundus'. The text is followed by the name 'Johannes Whelar'. A complete copy of the text in Harley 3745 (ff. 1-74). For the text see L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue of Incipits of Medieval Scientific Writings in Latin, rev. ed. (London, 1963), pp. 862e, 1077g, and its electronic edition on CD-ROM (Ann Arbor, MI, 2000), nos. 862E, 1077G. Printed for the first time in Milan by Antonius Zarotus on 4 Aug. 1473: see H *14691; Osler, Incunabula medica… (1923), pp. 54-55, no. 34; Klebs, 'Incunabula scientifica …' (1938; repr. 1963), p. 305, no. 913.1; ISTC is00467000. A modern edition of the Arabic text was published in Beirut by A. H. Basağ in 2000.

Dictionaries: Recipes: Medicine and Surgery: Collection of medical glossaries, texts and recipes: 15th cent., 2nd half: Lat. and Enm: Copies.