Royal MS 12 B XXIV

TWO MEDICAL POEMS, in Latin, together with a legal formulary for scriveners, and several printed tracts, viz.:

1. Schola Salernitana: the common collection of medical didactic verse in hexameters, elegiacs, or pentameters, This MS. belongs to a class of recensions (cf. Sloane MSS. 337, 374, 382, 3468, Harley MS. 2268, Add. MS. 18752, and 12 E. VII, below) which begin 'Anglorum regi scripsit scola tota Salerni: Si vis incolumem si vis te reddere sanum', and end 'Hec [Hoc] supra renes pecten pone fitque iuuamen'. Many of the MSS. of this class give the name of Iohannes Mediolanensis as the compiler. They contain about 1,000- 1,100 (here 1,087) lines, or more than twice as many as the recension of Arnaldus de Villa Nova (see Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum, ed. Ordronaux, Philadelphia, 1870, and Harley MS. 3706, Sloane MS. 345), but only about half as many as what may be termed the Caroline version (beg. 'Francorum regi') contained in Add. MS. 12190, &c.; cf also Renzi's Collectio Salernitana (Naples, 1859), v, where 3,526 verses are printed. f. 5.

2. 'Macer de viribus herbarum, antiquus et nouus simul iniunctus': the metrical herbal, in hexameters, of the Pseudo-Aemilius Macer (cf. above, 12 B. III, art. I), arranged alphabetically, with large additions to make it a complete pharmacopocia, many of the articles being mineral drugs. Thus the whole poem contains about 5,280 verses against 2,269 of Choulant's edition (cf. also 12 B. XII, art. 24, and 12 E. XXIII, art. 3). English vernacular names are given, partly in the original hand partly as glosses, e.g. 'De Bedagar i. rosa silvestris' is glossed 'Eglentyn'. Beg. 'Herbarum quasdam dicturus carmine vires'; ends, under the article Zuccura, 'In calidis morbis apponit (sic) illa siropis'. An index to this article is prefixed (ff. 1 b-3 b) to art. 1. f. 24.

Artt. 3-7 are early printed tracts, without place, name, or date, but chiefly from the Cologne presses (see British Museum Cat. of Books printed in the XV cent., pt. i).

3. 'Incipit libellus magistri Thome de Ac= quino de modo confitendi et de puritate consciencie', with prefixed table of contents. A spurious work of S. Thomas. Hain 1343; Brit. Mus. IA. 8457. f. 110.

4. 'Martiris Albani venerabilis ecce legenda': life of S. Alban of Mainz (cf. 13 E. I, art. 2). By the printer known as the Printer of the Historia S. Albani (B. M. Cat. p. 215, IA. 3410). f. 146.

5. 'Incipit libellus de raptu anime Tundali et eius visione tractans de penis inferni et gaudiis paradisi', from the same press (B. M. Cat. p. 215, IA. 3425). A MS. copy from this edition is in Add. MS. 27424 (see Ward, Cat of Romances, ii, p. 426). On f. 154 is written the name John Adam. f. 154.

6. 'Dyalogus eloquentissimi atque reuerendi pa tris domini Enee Siluii poete laureati atque episcopi se nensis postea pii pape secundi contra Bohemos atque Thaboritas habitus de sacra conmunione corporis xpi feliciter incipit', Ulrich Zell's press (B. M. Cat. p. 188, IA. 2858). f. 172.

7. 'Clarissimi viri ac prestantissimi philosophie docto ris Augustini Dachi Senensis de variis lo quendi figuris siue de modo dictandi ad An dream ciuem Senensem ysagogicus libellus Incipit feliciter', same press (B. M. Cat. p. 189, IA. 2896). f. 202.

8. 'Bona cartuaria cum litteris munimentorum compilatus secundum modum et formam Willielmi Kingesmyll': a formulary of common deeds, including conveyances, mortgages and leases of land, manumissions, mercantile agreements, wills, &c., with a short introduction. Evidently of Oxford origin, but the personal names seem all fictitious. Some of the forms, e. g. in the executors' inventory, are apparently traditional; cf. two other Oxford formularies, 10 B. IX (of earlier date) and Add. MS. 12195 (later); see also Harley MS. 3352. Preface beg. 'Quia pium et necessarium est informare'; text, 'Sciatis quod cum aliquis vestrum vllam cartam'. At f. 248 is given the time of change of the regnal year for Hen. VI, the alteration for Edw. IV being interlined. The original date is therefore before 1461. At the end (f. 262) are added in another hand a few forms with dates extending to 1499. f. 226.

On the vellum fly-leaves at the end are:-(a) A couplet 'pastor arator eques paui colui supemui capras rus hostes fronde ligone manu'. f. 263 b;-(b) An interlaced diagram of the proportions of the numbers 6, 8, 9, 12, styled 'Spera pictagorica'. f. 264.

Vellum (artt. 1, 2 and ff. 226, 261-264) and paper; ff. 264. Quarto.

8¹/₄ in. x 5¹/₄ in. Middle of XV cent. Gatherings, artt. 1, 2, i⁴, ii-vi⁸, vii¹⁰, viii-xi⁸, xii⁶, xiii⁸, xiv¹⁰; art. 8, i²², ii¹⁴, iii⁴. Sec. fol. 'Est cortex'. Ownership note on f. 92, 'Iste liber constat Iohanni Legh militi [al. Leigh, Kt. 1501, d. 1523] de Stokewell [Stockwell] in parachia de Lambeth iuxta London. in com. Surr.' Afterwards in John Theyer's library. Theyer sale-cat. no. 188; CMA. 6681.