Royal MS 12 E XV

SECRETUM SECRETORUM: the Pseudo-Aristotelian work, with a commentary partly extracted from that of Roger Bacon, and other works, in Latin, viz.:

1. Tract on phlebotomy and cupping, attributed in Sloane MS. 4 (f. 31) to magister Ricardus [Anglicus ?, see 12 B. XII, art. 6] The initium is, however, not the same as in the Phlebotomia Ricardi contained in MSS. at Paris, Cambrai, and Cambridge, but this may be due to their being different extracts from the large work called Micrologus. Beg. 'Presentis negocii propositum est breuiter pertractare in quibus egritudinibus'; ends magisusum (sic) facientes dolorem'. f. 3.

2. 'Incipiunt caut[eria]': a tract on cauteries. Beg. 'Ad epilentiam fiat ustio'; ends 'colatura seruetur'. f. 5b.

3. Treatise on women's diseases and cosmetics known as Trotula Minor (cf. 12 B. XII, art. 9). Without title. The arrangement in the latter part is different in each MS., but this text has several points in common with Sloane MS. 1615. An unprinted chapter on 'Os fetidum' near the end has reference to the writer's experience ('Ego uidi quandam Saracenicam'). Beg. 'De curis mulierum compendiosa nobis fiat tradicio'; ends 'remanebunt pediculi'. f. 6.

4. Tract De saporibus (imperf. at beg.). Beg. 'Res unctuosa hec operatur'; ends 'minoris frigiditatis quam pontica'. f. 11.

5. Tract on anatomy practically illustrated from the pig: the Anatomia porci of Cophon (Renzi, Collectio Salernitana, ii, p. 388; cf. also 12 E. VIII, art. 4). Beg. 'Quoniam membrorum humani corporis'. f. 16.

6. Tract on colours, chiefly from the medical point of view. Beg. 'Practaturi (sic) de coloribus, primo quid sit color'; ends 'cum quadam claritate'. f. 17. Artt. 1-6 are in a small 13th cent. hand without ornament; artt. 7, 8 in an early 14th cent. hand, with initials in gold.

7. 'Incipit liber de secretis secretorum Aristotilis' (cf. 12 D. III, art. 1). This, however, is not the ordinary text. It is divided into six books, and of these lib. ii (cap. 2-end) and lib. vi (cap. 2-end) do not belong to the work in its proper form. The former is an astronomical and astrological tract, beg. (f. 35) 'Propter quedam difficilia in hoc libro de astronomicis', which is inserted before the medical part; the latter is the second book of Rasis ad Almansorem (see 12 B. XXV, art. 1), which replaces the original chapters on physiognomy (from the chapter De capillis to the end). It begins (f. 91 b) 'Corporis complexio ex colore et corporis humiditate'. This translation of Rasis is commonly assigned to Gerard da Sabbionetta. The Secretum is accompanied in parts by a commentary taken from that of Roger Bacon (contained in MSS. at Oxford, Tanner 116 and Corpus Christi Coll. 149) and from other sources, including the tract De conferentibus (See 12 B. XXV, art. 6). Reference is also given to 'N. de Tyngewic' (f. 45), and a note is headed 'Loke Grom' (f. 33). Colophon, 'Completus est tractatus de signis et moribus naturalibus homiiium ad regem magnificum Alexandrum, qui dominatus fuit toto orbe monarchia in septentrione'. f. 19.

8. 'Incipit liber centum uerborum Ptholomei': a translation into Latin, through the Arabic, of the ------------------ or Centiloquium, an astrological work attributed to Claudius Ptolemaeus. The Greek text was printed with the Quadripartitum at Nuremberg, 1535. The Latin version printed at Venice in 1493 is only in part identical with this translation (cf. also 12 F. VII, art. 3). In some cases comments seem to be interpolated into the text. There are a few marginal glosses. Beg. 'Dixit Ptholomeus: Iam scripsi tibi fore [Syre] libros'; ends 'ubi eam inueneris erit ascendens natiuitatis'. f. 117.

On f. 136 b are scribbled notes of the distances of the planets, beg. 'a terra usque ad lunam xv^m. vic. xxii'. The fly-leaves (ff. 1b, 2) are from some kind of 15th cent. accompt-roll, probably from the Lincolnshire fens, containing a list of names and sums of money, e.g. 'vi^ta Iohannes de Waynflet viii. d. ob. v^ta Ioh. de Britifen iii s. viii d.' Other names are Bilingburg and Baston.

Vellum; ff. 137. 6³/₄ in. x 4¹/₂ in. XIII-XIV cent. Gatherings, artt. 1-6, i, ii⁸; artt. 7, 8, i-ix¹², x¹¹, with catchwords, and lettered a-d, g, f, h, k, 1, e. Sec. fol. 'quod equipollet'. Initials in gold, red, and blue. Belonged, before his accession, to Edward IV, having (f. 2 b) the inscription (possibly autograph) 'Iste liber constat Edwardo comiti Marchie primogenitus filius (sic) ducis Eboraci' The name Joh. Smythe is scribbled on f. 136 b. 'Old Royal pressmark 'no. 806' (Westm. invent. of 1542, Add. MS. 25469, f. 34); cat. of 1666, f. 20b; CMA. 8448, 8534.

includes:

• ff. 1b, 2 Accounts: Notes of payments in co. Linc.: 15th cent.