Harley MS 3902

Composite Miscellany relating to Computus and Medicine; 14th cent. Latin. Copies. The cataloguing of this manuscript was funded by the Wellcome Trust and only the texts relating to regimen of health and medicine are itemised here. The miscellany includes: a) Alexander de Villa Dei, Tractatus metricus de computo ecclesiastico cum glossa (ff. 1-10v; Imperfect); - b) Computus manualis, in verse (ff. 13-16); - c) De lunae observatione (ff. 29-30v); - d) Somnia Danielis, alphabetical list (ff. 30v-33v; - e) Conciliator (?), a text relating to the calendar (f. 35); - f) Versus de modo vivendi in singulis mensibus (f. 35; item 1); - g) Verse relating to medicine and plants (ff. 35v-39v; item 2); - h) Philip of Tripoli, Contra infirmitates corporis, in verse (ff. 39v-42; item 3). The date and circumstances of the arrival of the MS. in the Harleian collection are unknown, and the volume is mentioned in neither C. E. Wright and R. C. Wright, The Diary of Humfrey Wanley (London, 1966), or 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 in brown ink '122.A.16 / 3902', and '2/III A' in pencil on f. i. The MS. is described in A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts (London, 1808-1812), iii, p. 95.

Parchment; ff. ii (paper)+44+ii (paper). Modern foliation in pencil '1-44' (followed here). circa 173 x 125mm. Composite MS. comprising 2 codicological units (ff. 1-10 and 11-44) of different origin. Gatherings: i^12-2 (second and third excised), ii-v⁸, vi². Variously ruled in ink for single, double or triple columns of 24-37 lines (48 lines for glosses on ff. 2v-9). Texts below top line. Written in black ink in gothic cursive bookscripts. Initials (1-3 lines; ff. 1-9) in red, one in blue (f. 2v) with contrasting penwork. Small initials (1 line; ff. 11-44v) and rubrics in red; minor initials occasionally touched in red. Harley binding in mottled brown calf with blind- and gilt-tooled decoration on covers and spine, attributable to Thomas Elliott: rolls used for front-edge and cover decoration identical to Elliott's rolls nos. 2 and 4 reproduced in Nixon, 'Harleian Bindings', in Studies … in Honour of Graham Pollard (Oxford, 1975), pl. 14.

Contents relating to medicine as follows:

1. f. 35. Versus de modo vivendi in singulis mensibus; 14th cent. Latin. Copy. Inc. 'Estas quod ianum calidas est sumere sanum'. For the text, see L. Thorndike and P. Kibre, A Catalogue of Incipits of Medieval Scientific Writings in Latin, rev. ed. (London, 1963), p. 514l, and its electronic edition on CD-ROM (Ann Arbor, MI, 2000 = eTK), no. 514L. Keywords: verse; calendar.

2. ff. 35v-39v. Verse relating to medicine; 14th cent. Latin. Copy. Inc. 'Thus aloes mirtus mastix athanasia galla / gumat plantago'.

3. ff. 39v-42. Philippus Tripolitanus, Contra infirmitates corporis, in verse; 14th cent. Latin. Copy. Rubric 'Medulla totius medicine', inc. 'Experimenta notes minime reprobanda legenti / per que'. For the text, see Thorndike and Kibre, A Catalogue..., cit. above, p. 543f; eTK, no. 543F; H. Walther, Initia carminum ac versuum medii aevi posterioris Latinorum, 2nd ed. (Göttingen, 1969), no. 6104. Keywords: disease; verse.

Thomas Elliott, bookbinder: Bindings ENGLISH: Mottled brown leather over pasteboards with blind- and gilt-tooled decoration attributable to Thomas Elliott: 18th cent., 1st quarter.

Astronomy: Calendars: Poetry LATIN: Medicine and Surgery: Composite miscellany relating to computus, astronomy, regimen of health and medicine: 14th-15th cent.: Lat: Copies.

includes:

• ff. 1-10v Calendars: Poetry LATIN: Alexander de Villa Dei, Dolensis, ord. Minor: Tractatus metricus de computo ecclesiastico cum glossa by Alexander de Villa Dei: 14th cent.: Lat: Copy. Imperf.
• f. 35 Poetry LATIN: Medicine and Surgery: Versus de modo vivendi in singulis mensis: 15th cent.: Lat: Copy.
• ff. 39v-42 Medicine and Surgery: Philippus Tripolitanus: Contra infirmitates corporis by Philippus Tripolitanus: 15th cent: Lat: Copy.