Royal MS 12 B XXV

MEDICAL TRACTS and recipes, with some collections on experimental science, chiefly in Latin: a 14th cent. collection, perhaps made by a resident in Ireland (see notes on ff. 283b, 284 b). The MS. has evidently been used, not very intelligently, by the scribe of Sloane MS.

282, in which nearly all the articles are copied. Contents : 1. Excerpts, chiefly from the Liber ad Almansorem of Rasis (Muhammad ibn Zakariya, abu Bakr, Al-Razi), but ending with some mnemonic verses (f. 8 b), viz. a couplet on the humours beg. 'De fleu. fit leuco., de melan. nascitur ypo.' and ii lines on the properties of simples, beg. 'Ista repercutiunt, rosa lilia iusquiamusque'. f. 1.

2. Brief treatise on urines; the title, 'Incipiunt vrine m. Mauri abreuiate', and similar colophon are perhaps inaccurate, as only the rules for diagnosis, not those for treatment nor the 'resoluciones de singulis membris' at the end, seem to be connected with the 'Regulae urinarum mag. Mauri' printed by Renzi, Coll. Salern. iii. 2. Beg. 'Urina pall. vel subpal. ka. glauc.'. f. 9.

3. Table of the complexions, seasons, &c. Beg. 'Sanguis comparatur {^veri' / _aeri. f. 16 b.

4. Table of herbs, medicines, and electuaries proper against the hot and cold distemperaments of the several parts of the body, headed 'Prologus Rogeri. Incipit breuis tractatus et vtilis omnium medicinarum et membrorum distemperatorum', the running heading also being 'Medicine Rogeri, but the colophon is 'Explicit tractatus Io. de Damasceno', perhaps a mistake for the next article. Sloane MS.282, here and elsewhere copies the errors. Beg. 'Hee sunt herbe contra frigidam discraciam capitis'. f. 17.

5. 'Breuiloquium' (so the preface entitles the tract) on digestives and purgatives, attributed in the heading to 'Io[hannes] Da[mascenus]', i. e. Iohannes filius Mesue [Yuhanna ibn Masawaih] but not among his printed works (Venice, 1602). Beg. 'Roganti tibi, dilectissime mi, hoc opusculum'. f. 21.

6. Tract De conferentibus et nocentibus (cf. 12 B. XII, f. 127), of uncertain authorship. The heading here is 'Liber herbarum et specierum Io. de Tholeto', but the colophon is 'Explicit practica Bernardi de medicinis dandis' (Sloane MS. 282 contrives to attribute it to three authors). Beg. 'Conferunt cerebro fetida'. f. 24.

7. De diureticis et solutiuis: a list of drugs, with the colophon 'He sunt medicine secure approbate ab antiquis et vsu communi quibus vtimur in sirupis ... et hoc indiget arte medicine', followed by a brief list 'De medicinis acutis et euitandis' and colophon 'Explicit secundum W. de Prouincia. No medical author of the name seems to be known. f. 31.

8. 'Liber virtutum': a tract on simple medicines generally assigned (e.g. in Add. MS. 28555) to Iohannes de S. Paulo, but printed as Constantine's in Isaaci Opera (Lugd. 1515), pt. ii, f. 186 b. The author refers to another work of his called Breviarium. Beg. 'Cogitanti michi sepe de simplicium. f. 32.

9. Table for the interpretation of terms in materia medica. Beg. 'Quando cassia inuenitur per se sine adiuncto intelligendum est de cassia lignea'. f. 53 b.

10. Classified list of compound medicines. The scribe of Sloane MS. 282 adds 'secundum Nicholaum', but his rubrics are of even less authority than those of the present MS. Beg. 'Electuaria calefaciencia: Diamargariton'; ends 'et sirupi ro. Explicit', f. 55.

11. 'Prologus compilatoris': a preface, whether to the whole remainder of the volume, or to part of it, or otherwise, there is no certain indication. Begins, after a motto 'Non est dignus dulcoris acumine, qui amaritudinis nequit inuiscari grauamine', with the text 'Honora medicum propter necessitalem, &c. [Ecclus. xxxviii. 1-6]: Tota ista sentencia'. Iohannes Damascenus (filius Mesue) and others are quoted. f. 57.

12. Prayers and charms against various evils, in Latin, French, and English. A few words are written in a simple cipher, the vowels only being altered. f. 59.

13. Extracts from the Compendium Salemi (Renzi, Coll. Sal. v, p. 206, cf. 12 E. VIII, art. 3). See also art. 24, below. Beg. 'Oximel sic fit'. f. 66 b.

14. Catalogue of simple and compound medicines according to their properties (evacuant, alterative, &c.), and table of doses. The references are to [Iohannes filius] Mesue. Three recipes are added on f. 75, of which one is 'sec. Rasis 8. Almansor', i. e. from tract viii, cap. 55 of the Liber ad Almansorem (art. I, above). Beg. 'Medicine simplices de proprietate educentes principaliter coleram : Aloes, scamonea', f. 68.

15. 'Incipit Flos medicinarum': a tract by an Arab physician on special medicines approved by himself and other Greek or Arab physicians. Printed among the spurious works of Galen (ninth junta ed., Venice, 1609, f. 108 b) as De medicinis expenis. The present text appears to be incomplete, ending with the 'Electuarium Zarakonis de Babilonia'. Beg. 'Dicit Galienus Ignis qui descendit'. f. 76.

16. Medical recipes and commonplaces, mainly without indication of source, but including the following:-

(a) Iohannes de Toleto contra venenum', and some other fragments extracted from his De sanitate conservanda (see Sloane MS. 418, f. 334). Of the author (cf. art. 6, above) nothing seems known, unless he is identical with Iohannes Davit of Toledo, whose astrological prediction for the year 1329 is in Arundel MS.

134, f. 159. Beg. 'Venenum quoddam est calidum'. ff. 86-89;-(b) Two other 'tractatus', De raucedine and De pleuresi, ascribed to the same author, not found in the Sloane MS. A large part of the former appears to be borrowed from Platearius' Practica (cf. 12 B. III, art. s). It beg. 'Raucedo multis de calidis habet fieri', and the latter 'Sanguis augmentatus calore suo'. ff. 90b, 98;-(c) A recipe for a soporific is given under the heading 'Circa Instans in capitulo Semperuiua', but does not occur in the printed texts of Platearius de simplici medicina (with Serapion's works, Lyons, 1525) or in 12 E. V, below, or Sloane MS. 420. Beg. 'Unguentum populeon'. f. 92b;-(d) 'De composicione siruporum': a tract beg. 'Primo dicendum est de composicione siruporum circa genera. Septem sunt canones'. f. 101. The whole collection beg. 'Oximel squillaticum sic facies'. f. 85.

17. 'Liber de regimine sanitatis secundum Ysaac, Auicennam et Constantinum editus' (so colophonthere is no heading). In three books. Lib. i, if the last chapter be omitted and the last chapter of lib. ii substituted, is identical with the tract De regimine sanitatis ad regem Aragonum among the printed works (Basel, 1586, Coll. 787) of Arnaldus de Villa Nova. Beg. 'Prima pars vel consideracio sanitatis conseruande'. f. 104.

18. Compilation of notes on various maladies and their remedies, the authorities cited including Constantinus Africanus, Alexander, Avicenna, Dioscorides, Thesaurus Pauperum [by Pet. Hispanus] and Circa Instans [by Matthaeus or Iohannes Platearius]. The colophon, 'Explicit practica Constantini de infirmitatibus corporis humani', is therefore wrong. Beg. 'Antrax sic curatur: puluis salis communis'. f. 138.

19. A few miscellaneous commonplaces. Beg. 'Nota quod iiii. sunt signa'. f. 201 b.

20. 'Incipit liber de liquoribus et eorum effectu et natura': a compilation from various sources, Isidore and Huguccio (etymologies), Constantine, Isaac, Avi. cenna, Platearius (Circa Instans), and others. Beg. 'Uua ab humeo -es dicitur'. f. 203.

21. 'Incipit liber de coloribus': a tract partly physical, partly medical, including references to Avicenna and quotations from Isidore and from Aegidius [of Corbeilles] de Urinis. Beg. 'Albedo est color ex luce clara'. f. 216 b.

22. 'Compendium Rogerini de dandis et acuendis medicinis et opiatis'. the Rogerina Parua, one of the three medical works assigned by Lajard (in Hist. Litt. de la France, xxi, p. 527) to the Frenchman Roger de Baron. It forms capp. i-iii of tract iv in the Practica Medicinne printed in Cyrurgia Guidonis de Cauliaco, &c. (Venice, 1498, cf. 12 B. XII, art. 10). Beg. 'Cum artis medicinalis due partes sunt'. f. 221.

23. Recipes for laxative and styptic medicines. Beg. 'Aqua solutiua sic fit'; ends 'ipsam principaliter purgabis. Explicit'. f. 230.

24. Further extracts, of purgatives and decoctions, from Compendium Salerni. Beg. 'Prouocantibus egestionem' (ed. Renzi, capp. 27-42). f. 231 b.

25. Various medical commonplaces, viz.:-(a) De oleis, probably part of some Antidotarium or Modus Conficiendi. Beg. 'Post opiatarum tractatum vsum et modum conficiendi'. f. 234;-(b) Miscellaneous, chiefly of simples, beg. 'Nota quod G. dicit Qui assuefacit stomachum'. f. 237;-(c) 'Repressiones', beg. 'Scamonea reprimitur sic'. f. 241 b; -(d) 'Practica Pantegni' of Constantine, extracts from lib. v, capp. 27, 29. f. 242 b;-(e) 'De naturis arborum', beg. 'In arborum naturis consideratur'. f. 244.

26. Recipes for fireworks, rockets, the burningglass, &c. Beg. 'Puluis ad ignem Grecum iactandum'. At the end (f. 247) is a chapter 'de virtutibus aque uite'. f. 245.

27. 'Incipiunt experimenta naturalia fratris Alberti que dicta sunt secreta philosophorum': extracts, botan-

ical and zoological, from the Liber aggregationis, a supposititious work of Albertus Magnus (1193-1280, Bishop of Regensburg 1260-1262), printed in Tractatus Henrici de Saxonia (Frankfort, 1615), also at Amsterdam (1643) and elsewhere. Beg. 'Eliotropla est herba'. f. 248.

28. Miscellaneous recipes and charms, Lat., Fr., and Engl. The subjects include coloured lights, depilatories and hair-dyes, colours, extirpation of rats, protection from thieves (English verse charm, f. 253b), &c. A recipe for sapo gallicus is referred (f. 252 b) to 'compilator breviari Bartholomei', i.e. Ioh. de Mirfield (see Harley MS. 3, f. 277). The collection beg. 'Ad mutandum rose colorem'. f. 251.

29. Astrological tracts and commonplaces, viz. :-(a) Tract on the planets, of which other copies are in Harley MS. 3814, part i, f. 91, Sloane MS. 636, f. 71. Beg. 'Gloriosus daus et sublimis creator omnium'. f. 254;-(b) Notes and verses on the planets and signs. Beg. 'Item planetarum alii boni. f. 256;-(c) On the moon in the several signs. Beg. 'Quando luna est in ariete. Aries est signum mobile'. f. 256 b;-(d) Miscellaneous notes, including references to 'Albanensis' and 'Lincolniensis' (Richard de Wallingford and Robert Grosseteste ?). Beg. 'Sunt enim quedam signa calida et sicca'. f. 258.

30. Verses and tables to find the moon's place. Beg. 'Si vis scirelocum quo luna meat ve meabit'. f. 260.

31. Recipes for ointments and plasters. Beg. 'Unguentum neruale valet contra frigiditatem neruorum'; ends 'vsque ad vrnbilicum, &c. Explicit'. f. 264.

32. Miscellaneous medical recipes from Iohannes de Sancto Amando (Canon of Tournai, d. circ. 1261), Iohannes filius Mesue, Avicenna, Rasis, Dioscorides, Galen, Pliny, and 'B.' de dieta in acutis. Beg. 'Oleum rosaceum sic fit'. f. 268. Art. 33 is a later addition (late 15th cent.).

33. Tract on simples, in English. Beg. 'Isope is hote and dry in two degrees'; ends 'uppon þe day þus saith Gallyen, &c.' f. 279.

34. Table of Arabic notation. Beg. 'Notandum est quod talis est regula Algorismi'. f. 282.

Insertions on margins or blank leaves include: -(a) 'To take fyshe', recipe in Engl., l5th-16th cent. f. 56 b;-(b) Four recipes in Engl. Beg. 'For eyen sight. Take Rosmary'. f. 75 b; -(c) Note in a 16th cent hand about some unspecified property which came to one Vyncent, who married the widow of one Halle, serjeant at law, who had it of 'Edward the Fysshemonger'. f. 75 b;-(d) Cookery recipe, 'Bakemete of Burdeux', 15th cent. f. 96;-(e) 'Contra debilitatem renum', 15th cent. 202b;-(f) Verses on the complexions (Schol. Sal., Renzi, ll. 1708, 1709, 1703, 1703, 1714, 1715, 1696, 1697. f. 261 (b);-(g) Recipes in English against gout and, in another 15th cent. hand, paralysis and stone. ff. 262, 262b;-(h) Charm against toothache, in Latin, 15th cent. f. 281 b;-(i) 'Hii sunt extinccionis libidinis', a couplet beg. 'O bone Laurenti'.

283 b;-(k) Charm against fire, invoking S. Columkill. f. 283 b; -(l) Couplet on the equation ¹/₄ d. per week = 1s. 1d. per annum. f. 283;-(m) Lines on health (Schol. Sal., Renzi, 11. 6-10). f. 283 b;- (n) Charm against fever, in Latin, l5th cent. f. 284;-

(o) Recipe for a ptisana and notes on diet, in Engl., l5th cent. f. 284; (p) 'Allocacio redditus de Kylmaynan' [Kilmainham, co. Dublin], with notes of agricultural expenses, l5th cent. f. 284b;-

(q) Recipe for ink, beg. 'Si vis facere incaustum Lumbardie'. f. 284b.

Vellum and paper (ff. 57-263 paper, except the outer and inner sheets of each gathering); ff. 284. 9 in. x 6 in. XV cent. Sec. fol. 'species quarum'. Initials in red or flourished in red and blue. Scribbled names occur of 'Ser Wyllyam Orch' (f. 143) and W. Armar and W. Collyng (f. 262). Belonged (f. 1) to [John, Lord Lumley. Lumley.cat. f. 391 (?); cat of 1666, f. 20; CMA. one of the nos. 8534-8538.