Harley MS 4076

This manuscript contains a 16th-century collection of medical and cosmetic recipes in English and Latin, most likely compiled by a physician in the county of Devon. Its first known owner was William Raulyngs [Ralyngs], who appears to have been closely related to the manuscript's compiler. The latter is suggested by the collection's inclusion of various recipes that are attributed to 'John Rawlyngs', presumably a family member. The collection includes various references to earlier medieval and early modern physicians, including the English physician John Arderne (b. 1307, d. 1392), the Italian surgeon Giovanni da Vigo (b. 1450, d. 1525), the Persian physicians Abu Ali Al-Hussein Ibn Abdullah Ibn Sina (b. 980, d. 1037) [Avicenna], Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyāʾ al-Rāzī (b. 864 or 865, d. 925 or 935) [Rasis], and the Arab Andalusian physician Abū al-Qāsim Khalaf ibn al-'Abbās al-Zahrāwī al-Ansari (b. 936, d. 1013) [Albucasis]. It also includes an ointment for ulcers that is attributed to King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547). Many references to the locations of physicians and patients from the compiler's own time leave little doubt that the collection was made in Devon.

Contents:

ff. 1v-152v: Collection of medical and cosmetic recipes in English and Latin, many of which include the names of medical authors, physicians, and patients: 'Unguentum Apostolorum secundum Avicennam' (f. 11v), 'Emplastrum Jacoby' (f. 15r), 'flos unguentorum after Master P[a]rkowys' (f. 17r), 'flos unguentorum of Master Roo' (f. 17r), 'Edmond Voulers blacke playster' (f. 17v), 'Another playster to gether and breke any ympostym provyd by Sir John Harvy upon Elner Poyntyll of Exeter' (f. 18v), 'An yntrete off lady ?Dynna[n]ys' (f. 19r), 'Implaustrum Jamense Master Rooys playster' (ff. 20v, 21r), 'Thomas fytziames after Adam pro fistula' (f. 21v), 'A dygestyve of Rawlyng' (f. 24v), 'A provyd pouder to stope blod after the lombardes surgyons' (f. 37r)', 'The womanys playster of saynt Edmonys bury for fistula - John Rawlyngs' (f. 37v), 'another salve after Rawlyngs of (?) J H' (f. 39r), 'ffor uncomys or fistula provyd by Thomas Sorell or Dya[n]na or Boureman of the parysche of dowlysche at Cockewod dwellyng devoun' [Dawlish Warren, Cockwood, South Devon] (f. 40r), 'Johne Whyt - A stryctine when bonys be broken' (f. 43v) 'ffistula', with reference to 'the order of Master John Ardryn' (f. 44r); 'John Harvy made a long tent of lynyn cloth of handful long to movue Stevyn yn exceter baker' (f. 45r); 'a scharpe crokyed instrtument called phalac […] John de vigo'; 'Nota secundum Gilbertum' (f. 47r); 'for fistula of Master fithiamys' (f. 48v); 'John Harvy - for a wylde tetter or ryng worme' (f. 52v); 'Androw Tremayn - A decoctioun of Master Dotyns [? John Dotyn of Exeter College] for the pockes' (f. 64r); 'Plato sayeth bartilmeu' (f. 64v); 'John Tauton 1552 / 2 day of June E. vjti vj yere' (f. 68v), 'fryday the xxvij day - John Tauton s[?ervant] to s[ir] Thomas Dennys [? Thomas Denys (b. c. 1477, d. 1561) of Hocombe Burnell near Exeter, Devon]' (f. 69v), 'Edmond voulers resete for lepre' (f. 71v), 'John Hayward lepre' (f. 71v), 'A bawme of Roger Fy[?n][er]' (f. 72r), 'Morb[us] Rawlyng[i]s' (f. 72r), 'for watering eyes […] provyd by Robart Wyllyamys of cockewod' (f. 73v), 'for toth ake elsabeth Morysche' (f. 74v), 'Johyne Whyt - for onys hed that ys abrode or for the maygryn' (f. 75r), 'The subchaunters recete' (f. 76v), 'J. Harvy - for a marmoll pocke' (f. 76v), 'Kyng Henry the viiijthys oyntment' (f. 77r), 'Ad visum reparandum Experimentum ypocras' (f. 79r), 'Master Dotyn for Androwe tremayn' (f. 80v), 'Sir Harvy curyd thys' (f. 81v), 'Syr John Goorys resete' (f. 84v), 'Master foryste Recete' (f. 86v), 'Margatt gabrielles recete' (f. 86v), 'Margat gabrielles recete - Tauton cock[es]' (f. 87r), 'Master hurstes drynke for a drouth and a cowgh - provyd by Thomas graner' (f. 87v), 'Master Rowe - Tho make a damaske water of the beste sorte' (f. 105v), 'Jefry barber - for the yerd' (f. 109v), 'John Croste pro gomorroea' (f. 110r), 'Secundum harvy - Thys y made for Sir Crostyn and hy dyd marvelowse well a yellow salve' (f. 111r), 'Secundum Harvys yellow salfe and grene' (f. 111r), 'For the colte Evyll or swellyng coddes or ballockes - secundum John Harvy' (f. 112r), 'For the coddes - John Hayward' (f. 112r), 'Another medycyn for swelling […] hec Fulford [? Great Fulford, Devon]' (f. 113v), 'John Haward for pockes' (f. 120r), 'Kymars recete Mistris - Cruse was helyd' (f. 120r), 'Kymars recete' (f. 121v), 'Emplastrum attractivum - Magistri forest' (f. 121r), 'To morterfye a bornyed pyntyll - Richard Norle' (f. 121v), 'Kendall pro morbis / hit hath no fellow - Master Roo' (f. 122v), 'To kyll the canker pocke […] secundum John Harvy' (f. 124v), 'For Morbis / Richard Crancke' and 'Cranckes playster for combe of taunton that was leyd xxij tymys and at last helyed' (f. 125r), 'John Hayward to kyll the teter pocke' (f. 125v), 'Margaret gabrielles recete' (f. 125v), 'John Marysche pro morbis' (f. 127r), 'J. Harvy' (f. 127r), 'For payne off Joynttes in cold winters of Rasis avicen and Seraphion' (f. 129r), 'Diagnilon of Rasis proper for scrophules and kyrnelles provid by Avicen' (f. 129r), 'Edmond vouler - a bath for all the body' (f. 129v), 'Harry welys Receyte off Clyff whyche was leyd xxv tymys and had hyt many yerys and by thys was curyd and on[e] Sir Robart Palmar of Porlocke was curyd which had hyt xviij yerys and Jopson also with many other' (f. 130r), 'Unguentum egiptiacum of Rasys and Avicen and ys mych used at Boleyne' (f. 132v), 'An actuall cauter of albucrasis [Abū al-Qāsim Khalaf ibn al-'Abbās al-Zahrāwī al-Ansari (Al-Zahrawi)]' (f. 133r), 'Apostolicum cirurgicum of Roger' (f. 133v), 'John Tayler surgyon - to kyll a canker' (f. 134v), 'Edmond Voulers resete' (f. 135r), 'All the kyndes of the pockes that Y Sir John Harvy have sene' (f. 140r), 'Doctor Chambronys medysyn for the splene' (f. 144v); with some additions by William Rawlings (ff. 151r-152v).

The manuscript also contains:

f. 40v: A list of patients treated for fistulas by the manuscript's composer: 'John Howndaller / Jhon Praunsle of clene / Rychard swete of Exceter / John degons of Sylverton / Thomas Welyamys of Cockewod / John Walse of Exceter in the yerd at the newyn / Mastrys Wolcot at south gate / Mounstevyn withoute south gate / Johne Rewe of Lomyn y fet owte xx bonys owte of here ancle'.

f. 41r: Memorandum: 'Y helyd Johne Broustun of Exceter that y fet owte xx bonys of here schenys'.

ff. 61v-63r: An account of the French Pox: '1493 [with the added date 1575] - The French pockes were fyrste found among the French men at Naipylles under Charylys or Charles kyng and hyt was callyd the evyll of Naples'.

ff. 70v-71r: Instructions for making an amulet for the falling sickness, beginning: 'The vicar of bredwod [Broadwoodwidger, Devon] wryte thys prayer and bere hit about the for the fallyng evyll / sicut [cor]ruit golias ante faciem pueri david et sicut [cor]ruit pharao in mari rubro ante faciem Moysy [etc.]'.

f. 150r: Memorandum: '1550 - in the fryday xxix day of Auguste - Memorandum that Sir John Harvy cut of the leg of Thomas Ardryn the sone of Wyllyam Ardryn of the Parysche of Purbyke off the castyll of Corffe in Dorssedschere at Edmond Voulers howse at Budle in the Counte off Devounschere'.

f. 150r: Memorandum: Jhon Way pewterers leg was cut of twesday xv day off September 1551 in the xth yere of Kyng Edward the vjth he dyed the fryday nyght with aqua vite and ?rumne'.

ff. 152r-152v: Poem in praise of chirugy by William Raulyngs, beginning: 'To the flaylle and the traste / The rake and the togge / to the dounge forke and mattoke / to the shepe hoke and the doge'.