Harley MS 2390

Medical Compendium; 15th cent. Latin and Middle English. Partly copy. Imperfect. The compendium contains texts relating to medicine and the regimen of health in Latin and Middle English, interspersed with collections of medical recipes (ff. 57v-58v, 59v-72, 75, 76-91v, 100v-102v, 107-108v, 110v, 114v-116v, 119v-126, 126-128v, 146-161) and a few other short texts relating to alchemy (ff. 59, 75v; items 10, 13), grammar (ff. 75v-76v; item 15), memory (f. 99v-100; item 19), the creation of man (ff. 100-100v; item 20), astrology and prognostication (ff. 111-111v, 112-114; items 24, 26-28). The texts were collected and written almost without breaks with the insertion of three short collections of medical recipes from two or possibly three other manuscripts (ff. 146-156v, 157-157v, 158-161). On the first of these insertions (ff. 146-156v) a note (f. 156v) added at the end by the scribe (and possibly one of the first owners of the volume) reads 'a good book of medysyns / qwech longyth to John Hewet Magnus'. For a different reading of the signature as 'Hesket', see A. G. Watson, 'Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts … by C. E. Wright (London, 1972). Review article', in Medieval Manuscripts in Post-Medieval England (Aldershot, 2004; Variorum Collected Studies Series, CS775), p. 606. The volume shows the loss of four or five central gatherings (see physical description below) and its original structure has been altered by a later binder who misplaced the first five gatherings (ff. 105-161; items 22-37) at the end of the volume, perhaps in order to put more learned Latin texts at the beginning. With marginal notabilia added by later hands (passim). Possibly owned in the second half of the 16th cent. by Christopher Bewter (unidentified), his note on f. 71. Owned in 1596 by Adam Seager, armiger, his ex-libris on f. i: see C. E. Wright, Fontes Harleiani (London, 1972), pp. 299, 408. The provenance, date and circumstances of the arrival of the MS. in the Harleian collection are unknown. The volume is not mentioned in C. E. Wright and R. C. Wright, The Diary of Humfrey Wanley (London, 1966), ii, p. 263 n. 1. Possibly acquired by Robert Harley (1661-1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, before appointing Humfrey Wanley (1672-1726) as his librarian, or by Harley's son, Edward (1689-1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, after Wanley's death. Bequeathed with Edward's library to his widow, 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 '100.C.20' followed by '2390' in dark brown ink, and 'I/III C' in pencil. The MS. is described in A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts (London, 1808-1812), ii, p. 680; detailed description of the texts provided by Linda E. Voigts. The cataloguing of this manuscript was funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Paper; ff. i +161+i. Old pagination in black ink '1-323'. Foliation in pencil ff. '1-161' (followed here; f. 161 a very small fragment; f. 157 a fragment from a larger MS.). The manuscript is now misbound and gatherings marked with leaf-signatures 'l-t' (now gatherings i-ix, i.e. ff. 1-104) precede those marked 'a-e' (now gatherings x-xiv, i.e. ff. 105-161); it also lacks four or possibly five gatherings (corresponding leaf signatures 'f-i' and possibly 'k') after gathering 'e'. Original sec. fol. (f. 106) 'for þe fallyng'; present sec. fol. (f. 2) 'diantesis'. circa 210 x 155mm. Gatherings: i^12-2 (first and second missing, twelfth bound as first leaf of second gathering; including front leaf as i), ii¹² (now 13 as includes last leaf of previous gathering), iii-vi¹², vii^12-1 (sixth missing), viii¹², ix^12-1 (twelfth missing; now including first leaf of following gathering), x¹² (first bound as last leaf of previous gathering), xi¹², xii¹⁶⁺¹ (first missing or seventeenth added as single leaf), xiii^12-1 (first missing), added single leaf (f. 157), xiv⁴, with leaf signatures in the lower right corner of rectos in the first half of gatherings and inconsistent horizontal catchwords at lower right corner of last versos. Inconsistently ruled in metal point (bounding lines only) for single columns of 23-28 lines (below top line). Written space circa 150 x 98. Written in an English cursive bookhand (cursiva antiquior libraria/formata - Anglicana) by various scribes; additional parts (ff. 146-156v, 157-157v, 158-161) written by three other English scribes in similar cursive bookhands. Occasional initials, paragraph marks and nota signs in red, rubrics consisting of words underlined in red. Occasional marginal notes by later readers. Paper watermarks include: - a) ring (ff. 1-58), similar to Briquet 689 (1457); - b) ox (ff. 59-104, 129-144), similar perhaps to Briquet 2782 (1446-8); - c) stag's head (ff. 146-156), not found in Briquet. Blind- and gilt-tooled leather from old Harleian covers pasted on modern pastedowns; British Library binding with Harley arms and motto gilt-tooled at centre of covers.

Contents as follows:

1. ff. 1-18. Pars dispensatorii; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Imperfect (acephalous). Inc. '[..] et eos sanat qui cibum non continent'. Largely in alphabetical order. Including (f. 2) 'De pondera', inc. 'Nomen minimum pondere / est scripulus qui est pondus xx granorum frumenti', (f. 11v) 'Paulinum Antidotum', and (f. 14v) 'Theodoricon Anacardinum'. With marginal notabilia added by later hands. Keywords: regimen of health.

2. ff. 18-22v. Hippocrates, Epistula ad Maecenatem (De regenda sanitate); 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Title (later marginal addition) 'De regimine sanitatis', rubric 'Hic incipit tractus / de regimine sanitatis secundum pysichi [sic]', inc. 'Libellum quem rogantibus ['bus' cancelled by subpunctuation] tibi promisi omni / cura adhibita', expl. 'qui / hi cibando et potando observaverunt'. Other copies in Add. 8928 (ff. 25-26), Arundel 166 (ff. 3-5v), Harley 1585 (ff. 10-12) and Sloane 1975 (ff. 8-10). See Kibre, 'Hippocratic Writings in the Middle Ages', Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 18 (1945), p. 403; Beccaria, I codici di medicina del periodo presalernitano (Rome, 1956), p. 419; L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue of Incipits of Medieval Scientific Writings in Latin, rev. ed. (London, 1963; The Mediaeval Academy of America Publication, 29; with supplements in 1965 and 1968), p. 817k or 817l; its electronic version on CD-Rom (Ann Arbor, MI, 2000 = eTK), no. 817K or 817L; P. Kibre, Hippocrates latinus: Repertorium of Hippocratic Writings in the Latin Middle Ages, revised ed. (New York, 1985), pp. 150-152, with no mention of the present MS. Keywords: regimen of health.

3. ff. 22v-23. Pseudo-Hippocrates, Epistula de flebotomia; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Title 'De Flebotomia', inc. 'Flebotomia est / recta vene incisio et sanguinis emissio'. Another copy in Arundel 251 (ff. 43-45). See A. Beccaria, I codici di medicina del periodo presalernitano (Rome, 1956), p. 451; L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, pp. 564a, b, b*, 1240l and m; eTK, no. 564A, B, and B*, 1240L and M. Keywords: bloodletting and hematoscopy; phlebotomy.

4. ff. 23-25. Regula de mensibus sive regimen 12 mensium; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Title (later marginal addition) 'Regimen 12. mensium', rubric 'Regula de mensibus', inc. 'Mense ianueris vinum album ieiunus bibe'. Including (ff. 24v-25) some verse at the end, inc. 'Unde versus / Ver estas dexteras'. A similar text in Harley 3843 (f. 11v). See Beccaria, I codici..., cit. above, 81.10; L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, p. 867b-c and m; eTK 867B-C and M. Followed (ff. 24v-25) by verse on seasons and phlebotomy veins, rubric 'Unde versus', inc. 'Ver aetas dexteras hyemps autump/nus que sinistras', expl. 'quod tibi vile finit'. See L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, p. 1685l; eTK, no. 1685L. Keywords: regimen of health.

5. ff. 25-51. Speculum medicorum; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Receptarium from head to feet citing Avicenna. Title (later marginal addition) 'Speculum medicine', rubric 'Hic incipit speculum me/dicine', prologue inc. 'Cum animadverterem quam pluri/mos medicorum non solum iuniores', inc. (f. 25v) 'In hoc parvissimo libello quem speculum medi/cine volo appellare ordinaliter colligere volo. / A capite quod principium humani corporis', expl. 'Quod / in proemio nostri libelli promissimus ad ffi/nem proposso nostro deduximus Amen / Finito libro sit laus et gloria christo'. With marginal notabilia added by later hands. Other copies in Royal 12.E.XXII (ff. 18-105v; amplified), Sloane 420 (ff. 269-276; abbreviated). For the text, see L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, pp. 282d and d*, 907g; eTK, nos 282D and D*, 907G (IV) anon. verse prologue; T. Hunt, Anglo-Norman Medicine, ii, Shorter Treatises (Cambridge, 1997), pp. 1-16, with mention of the present MS. at p. 7 n. 23.

6. ff. 51v-56. De conferentibus atque nocentibus; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Possibly imperfect. The text differs from the work attributed in the Middle Ages to Arnau de Villanova and printed with his works in the 1504 edition. However, the present text follows the edition in the sequence of chapters which goes from head to heart (excluding the lungs). Title 'De conferentibus capiti', inc. 'Fetida in gravi / opilacione et in oppressione cerebri ut in epilencia', expl. 'quaeque loco nimis calore immorar (?)'. With occasional marginal notabilia added by later hands. See L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, pp. 246h, 513i; eTK, nos 246E-H, 247A-B, 513J. The text is related to a treatise on physic for the health of the head, including eyes, ears, teeth and brain, and the heart, and good nourishment in Middle English, of which a copy here on ff. 109-110v (item 27). Keywords: anatomy; disease, signs and symptoms.

7. ff. 56-56v. Text on virtues of gentian and fennel; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Rubric 'Item virtutes gentiane', inc. 'Ut dicit phi/losophiis calidam habet naturam', expl. (f. 56v) 'Item virtutes / feniculi … calefacit nervos / expurgat punctiones (?) guttes (?) Amen'. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine.

8. ff. 56v-57v. Prayers and benedictions associated with medical herbs; 15th cent. Latin. Copies. Rubric 'Benedictio herbarum et mellis oratio', inc. 'Domine Iesu christe filii dei … qui es salus perfecta / et medicina vera'. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine.

9. ff. 57v-58v. Medical recipes (circa 12 recipes); 15th cent. Latin. Inc. 'Item si quis habet obductum [corrected to 'obstructum' by a later hand in the margin] nasum … Accipe zucaram id est speciem dulcem', expl. 'proprium valeas dentibus servare vigorem'. Keywords: recipes, medical; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

10. f. 59. Glossary of salts and gums; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Inc. 'Item sunt sales et plurimum', inc. 'Gumma sunt ista videlicet gummum arabicum'.

11. ff. 59v-72. Remedy book containing medical and cosmetic recipes (circa 85 recipes); 15th cent. Middle English and Latin. Possibly imperfect. Rubric 'Item a playster for þe heud for to havyn away þe brus', inc. 'Tak 1 handffull of camamyulle et 1 handffull off / herbe ryall et sethe hem', expl. 'et drynk þat jous ix dayes ffastyng'. Listed in L. E. Voigts and P. D. Kurtz, Scientific and Medical Writings in Old and Middle English: An Electronic Reference, CD-ROM (Ann Arbor, MI, 2006=eVK2), no. 5722.00. Keywords: recipes, medical. This remedy book includes two embedded texts on simples and on cosmetics as follows:

A. ff. 63v-65v. Notes on simples relating to circa 25 plants (Pseudo-Galen, Ad Paternianum). Middle English. Copy. Title (later marginal addition) 'Notae Generales de Simplicibus', inc. 'Summe medycynes harn made be leuys summe / be sedys summe be fflourrys summe be fruttis', inc. 'Quan leues gon to medycynys'. Listed in eVK2, no. 4592.00. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

B. ff. 65v-72. Cosmetic recipes (48 recipes). Middle English and Latin (rubric). Rubric 'These wordes sayde John þe cardenall / þat was þe good leche', marginal note 'propter / dolorem / dentium', inc. 'Sancta Apollonia / ffuit virgo inclita', rubric (f. 66) 'Item for to makyn heer for to growyn', inc. 'Make on / onyment₃ wit pure oylle et wit þe flour mad off kokyll / and'. Listed in eVK2, no. 3444.50, with marginal notes by Christopher Bewter who wrote his name in the lower margin of f. 71.

12. ff. 72-75. Medicines against fevers; 15th cent. Latin. Copies. Rubric 'Contra rosionem manuum cum vermibus', inc. 'Recipe cinapum demi / pinntter et bulliat cum libra una urine veteris'. Keywords: recipes, medical; herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

13. ff. 75, 75v. Recipes to make dye and pigment and incaustum; 15th cent. Middle English and Latin. Copies. Rubric (f. 75) 'Nota for to makyn vernysch', inc. 'Take on quarter off poynt / terres oylle'; rubric (f. 75v) 'Ad faciendum incaustum', inc. 'Recipe demi quartron de gummis et fiat / de eis pulvis et cum eo'. Another copy in Arundel 507 (f. 100v). See L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, p. 1325f; eTK, no. 1325F; D. W. Singer, Catalogue of Latin and Vernacular Alchemical Manuscripts in Great Britain and Ireland, Dating from before the XVI Century (Brussels, 1928-1931), ii, no. 933. Keywords: alchemy.

14. ff. 75-75v. Versus Nicolai de ponderibus medicinarum; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Rubric 'Audi lectando quidam dictum versificando', inc. 'Collige triticis medicine pondere granis'. Another copy in Sloane 3468 (f. 145). See S. de Renzi, Collectio Salernitana..., v (Naples, 1859), p. 44; L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, p. 234d; eTK, no. 234D. Keywords: weights and measures; herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

15. ff. 75v-76v. Grammatical analysis; 15th cent. Latin and Middle English. Inc. 'Nota Myn fadir levyng his ded. Pater meus viventis / est mortus'. The text has been crossed out.

16. ff. 76v-77. Three medical recipes; 15th cent. Latin. Rubric 'Pro tussi et strictura pectoris', inc. 'Recipe gencian / enule campane 1 3 {ounce} di {demi} # {dram} licoricie'. Keywords: recipes, medical; herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

17. ff. 77-78. Medical recipes (circa six recipes); 15th cent. Middle English. Rubric 'Nota for staunchyn bledyng wit outtyn any faylt', inc. 'Take þe qwytte of an hey et salt et swyngge / hem togedere '. Listed in eVK2, no. 6307.50.

18. ff. 78-91v. Medical recipes. Latin. Inc. 'Item semen ₃eudeare id est setuale omnes vermes / et serpentes'. A note (f. 78) citing 'secundum Harby Doctor'. Including (f. 82v) a medical charm, inc. 'Contra spasmum fiat carmen hoc', and (ff. 90-90v) a recipe for ointment, rubric 'Unguentum Paraliticis', inc. 'þe leues of lorer camemille et sawge sothern/wode isope et primrose', listed in eVK2, no. 4301.50. Keywords: recipes, medical; herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration; charms.

19. ff. 91v-94. Text on clysters; 15th cent. Latin. Rubric 'Clyster hendy', inc. 'Clistre tunc cum oleo laudabilis est senibus'.

20. ff. 94-99v. Text on genital and urinary disorders and ointments; 15th cent. Latin. Rubric 'Signa aut / dolores renum sunt hec', inc. 'dolor videlicet mansinus ?'. With occasional marginal notabilia added by a later hand.

21. ff. 99v-100. Charm to help memory; 15th cent. Latin. Rubric: Quicumque portavitur ista nomina scripta super se numquam / carebit memoria', inc. 'Marcus + Matheus +'.

22. ff. 100-100v. Text on the creation of man; 15th cent. Latin. Rubric 'De creatione Adam primi hominis', inc. 'Factus est Adam ex octo partibus / mundi prima pars de limo'. A text with similar incipit in Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 1118 (ff. 81v-82) and edited in K. D. Fischer, 'De coelo vita - de terra mors. Zwei Zeugnisse zur physischen Anthropologie aus dem frühen Mittelalter', in Worte, Bilder, Töne. Studien zur Antike und Antike-Rezeption. Bernhard Kytzler zu Ehren, ed. R. Faber and B. Seidensticker (Würzburg, 1996), p. 226.

23. ff. 100v-102v. Medical recipes (circa 82 recipes); 15th cent. Middle English. Rubric 'For all manner seknesses', inc. 'Take on hold cok red of colour þe oldere þe bettere it is / and dy₃tth', expl. 'Finito libro sit Laus et gloria Christo'. Listed in eVK2, no. 4970.00. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

24. ff. 103-104v. Galen (attr.), De bona deliberacione medici; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. A text on signs of diseases and anatomy generally attributed to Galen. Rubric 'Item de bona deliberacione medici', inc. 'Cumque quoque / cuncta vide nec profer verba repente mortiferos tua', expl. 'Hoc sunt antitoda [sic] contra mortales venenum'. Keywords: disease, signs and symptoms; diagnosis.

25. ff. 105-106v. Proclamation for itinerant physician; 15th cent. Middle English. The text is possibly translated from French. Inc. '[Hoyit hoyit] ₃iff þere be any man or wymman þat / is dyshesyd in any dyuersse seknesses þat is for / to sayne …. Here is a man þat / is a conyng man in lechecrafft3 both yn ffy/sykke et surgere', exp. 'off þe watter on warentysse'. Originally the first text of the manuscript; with title and explicit added by a later hand. Listed in eVK2, nos. 2345.50 and 2688.00. With a later note in the upper margin of f. 105 and lower margin of f. 106v erroneously relating to mountebank.

26. ff. 107-108v. Medical recipes (circa 8 recipes); 15th cent. Middle English. Rubric 'Item for to makyn 1 entret₃ clepid gratia dei', inc. 'Take half pound torpentyn one pound perrosyn iiii ounces virgyn wax'. Listed in eVK2, no. 5474.50. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

27. ff. 109-110v. Treatises of physic drawn for good health and nourishing; 15th cent. Middle English. Treatises of physic drawn for health of the brain and other parts of the body, including eyes, heart and stomach, and good nourishing. Rubric 'These ben tretes of fesyk drawyn for helthe of þe brayn and good / norchyng', inc. 'Smellyng onto muske reed roses / to drynkyn wyn mesurabylly camamille'. The text ends with a note (f. 110v) referring to a request sent by the King Charles IV of France to Queen Elizabeth [or Isabella] of England, his sister and wife to Edward II. With marginal notes by a later hand. Listed in eVK2, no. 4569.50. The text is related to a similar text in Latin, entitled De conferentibus atque nocentibus, of which a copy here on ff. 51-56v (item 6). Keywords: preparation and/or administration; regimen of health; diet.

28. f. 110v. Medical recipes (circa 5 recipes); 15th cent. Middle English. Rubric 'For peyne in þe bak', inc. 'Recipe iii grete handffull off quinque/ffoylle wasche hem stampe hem et boylle hem'. Listed in eVK2, no. 4180.50. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

29. ff. 111-111v. Text on zodiac and related signs; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Inc. 'Signa masculina sunt aries gemini leo libra sagittarius et capri/cornius'. The text is possibly related to De interrogationibus or Liber introductorius ad astrologiam by Zael (Sahl ibn Bishr al-Isra'ili; d. 822 or 850), listed in L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, p. 1501e, eTK, no. 1501E, of which a copy in Harley 80 (ff. 58-68).

30. ff. 111v-112. Text relating to bloodletting veins; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Rubric (in outer margin) 'Nota / vene', inc. 'Vena cephalica id est capitis pro passione capitis et cerebri / inscinditur'. See L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, p. 1680g, eTK, no. 1680G. Keywords: bloodletting and hematoscopy.

31. ff. 112-112v. Prognostication by Christmas Day; 15th cent. Middle English. Rubric (in outer margin) 'Nota / bene / sig/na', inc. 'Here begynnyth a tabele of seuene 3e/ryngge qwat day þat cristemesse day falle on it tellit / qwat it betokenyth'. Listed in eVK2, nos. 2190.50 and 2603.50

32. ff. 112v-114. Physical and physiognomic determinations by planets and signs of the zodiac; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Rubric (in outer margin) 'Ecce / nova', inc. 'Planete tamen liberum hominis necessitate non possunt / sed diuersa est dispocissio solis sub constellacione'.

33. f. 114. Text on the astrological significance of ten places; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Inc. 'Omnis figura primo loco posita se ipsam signat'. See L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, pp. 997j and possibly 938d, eTK, nos. 997J and possibly 938D.

34. ff. 114v-116v. Medical recipes (circa 27 recipes); 15th cent. Middle English. Rubric 'For to makyng a man to pyssyn he þat is stoppyd þerfrom3', inc. 'Take darnell þat growt amonge qwete et dry₃e it et make / þer small poudyr'. Listed in eVK2, no. 5272.00. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

35. ff. 117-119. Treatise on urine and uroscopy; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Title (later marginal addition) 'Judicia urinarum', inc. 'Urina spumosa clara et quasi subrubia dolorem in / dextero latere signat', expl. ' Explicit paruus tractatus compilatus / ex omnibus auctoribus qui tractant de urinis et physica …quare / nil valet absque dare'.

36. ff. 119-119v. Treatise on urine and uroscopy; 15th cent. Middle English. Copy. Inc. 'Subrufus et rufus iste / due urine signat perfectam digestionem … Subrubeus id est crocus [added between lines] red ly₃t colowryd rubeus reddere color / subrubicundus'. Listed in eVK2, no. 4629.00.

37. f. 119v. Qualitates aliquot simplicium; 15th cent. Middle English. The text relates to circa 15 medicinal plants. Title (later marginal addition) 'Qualitates /aliquot / simplicium', inc. 'Bonflour hoot et tempere / baldemony hoot₃ et moyst tormentylle hoot et moyst'. Listed in eVK2, no. 1317.0. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine.

38. ff. 119v-126. Medical recipes (circa 62 recipes); 15th cent. Middle English. Rubric 'Medysynes for / þe brest dysseyd wit flewm or soornesse', inc. 'Take on / quarter yssopp calamynte halff quarter 1 unce dram off / elena campana'. Listed in eVK2, nos. 5781.00. A recipe on f. 122v cites 'Medicina domini Walteri de Chellesbery'. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

39. ff. 126v-128v. Medical recipes (circa 50 recipes); 15th cent. Middle English and Latin. Imperfect. Latin text inc. (f. 126v) 'Hoc est primo capitulo pro vulneribus. Accipe ceram rosinam / et sebum'; Middle English text inc. (f. 126v) 'Take osmunde drynke it / ii tymes and no more and drynk forth ix day₃es'. Preceded (ff. 126-126v) by a table of contents, inc. '1 for woundys ii for bryssouris iii for brokyn bones'. Listed in eVK2, no. 5312.00. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration; wounds.

40. ff. 129-142. Governance of health; 15th cent. Middle English. Title (later marginal addition 'Libellus ad theoriam Medicam / octo capitis absolutus', prologue inc. 'In þis treteis is gouernauns off helthe off þe qwiche / sumqwat is to ben sayd', inc. 'It nedyth to hem þat wyllyn leuyn longe to knowyn / þe crafft3 off good gouernauns'. Text divided into eight chapters listed in a table of contents on f. 129. See L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, pp. 1614g and h; eTK, nos. 1614G, 1614H; eVK2, nos. 3078.00 and 3252.00. Partial edition in W. L. Braekman, Studies on Alchemy, Diet, Medecine [sic] and Prognostication in Middle English (Brussels, 1988 for 1986; Scripta, Mediaeval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, 22), pp. 47-48, with no mention of this MS. Keywords: regimen of health; laxatives; diet; leprosy.

41. ff. 142-144. De sex rebus non naturalibus; 15th cent. Latin. Copy. Title (later marginal addition) 'De sex rebus non naturalibus', inc. 'Sanitas est temperamentum quo mediante virtutes', expl. 'augus/tiam desiccare comprobantur pro sepe'. The text is possibly related to Arnald of Villanova in L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue …, cit. above, p. 1287g or 1490k; eTK, nos. 1287G or 1490K. Keywords: regimen of health.

42. ff. 144v-145v. Series of recipes, regimen of health including baths and bloodletting against the plague and poisonous bites; 15th cent. Latin. Title (later marginal addition) 'A peste praeservantia', rubric 'De preservacione a mortalitate', inc. 'Fugiatur locus vero est morta/litas sicut poterit', expl. 'combustum / aristologia et longa et rotunda explicit in deo'. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration; bloodletting and hematoscopy; regimen of health.

43. ff. 146-156v. Medical recipes (circa 102 recipes); 15th cent. Middle English. Imperfect (acephalous). First complete recipe rubric 'For bytyng off a addyr for styngyng of any ve/mynas beest', inc. 'Stamp weybred et letus et drink the jeus therof et ley the / substans'. With ownership note (f. 156v) 'a good book of medysyns / qwech longyth to John Hewet Magnus'. Listed in eVK2, no. 0432.00. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration; laxatives; ointments; plasters; wounds.

44. f. 157-157v. Four medical recipes; 15th cent. Middle English. Imperfect. Rubric imperfect '[S]alve in specyal', inc. 'Tak hony iii sponful et turbentyn / […] spoonful et frye hem togeder a lytel'. This single leaf comes from a larger manuscript and is horizontally bound so that the written lines lie vertically. Listed in eVK2, no. 5535.00. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration.

45. ff. 158-161. medical recipes (circa 12 recipes); 15th cent. Middle English. Imperfect. Rubric 'For peyne in þe hed of flem wynde or medgrem', inc. 'Take þe puryd water of betayne camamylle / sawge'. Listed in eVK2, no. 5535.00. Keywords: herbs and herbal medicine; medicines, preparation and/or administration; ointments.

Alchemy: Astrology: Weights and Measures: Recipes: Medicine and Surgery: Prophecies: Charms: Medical compendium including medical recipes, charms and short texts relating to alchemy, astrology and prognostication: 15th cent.: Lat. and Enm: Copies.