Collection of medical treatises and receipts, in Latin and English

Collection of medical treatises and receipts, in Latin and English

Contents

1. f. 1r, John of Burgundy, De pestilencia, continued f. 7v

f. 1r Dilectissime frater ut intellexi multum timens pro instanti pestelencia [sic] ... debes preseruare corpus tuum a morbo pestilenti.

The 'Epistola' attributed to Johannes de Burgundio is transcribed in Sudhoff's Archiv vol. V, pp. 75-80 (cf. also Singer (D.W.)) 'Some plague tractates'. P.R.S.M. (Hist. of Med. Section) vol. IX, 1916, Reprint, pp. 16, 17).

2. ff. 1v-7r Anonymous, De urinis, in English

f. 1v Here begynnyth the tretys of a mannys or a womannys wryne or watyr whothyng the wyl clepe it. contryvyd and made by the wysest clerkys of phisike of Ingland and translatyd owte of latyne in to englysch at the instaunce and prayere or owre lyege lorde kynge henry the 4te. Wherefore thee schall wyndyrstande that ther be XXti diuerse colowrys ... f. 7r ... and yt schal hele them. et probatum est.

3. ff. 7v-9v John of Burgundy, De pestilencia, continued

f. 7v In primis caveas omnem nimiam replecionem cibi et potus ... f. 9v ... Item caueas ab omnibus speciebus calidis.

4. ff. 9v-12v Miscellaneous receipts

f. 9v Thow schalt undyrstond and wete well that in eche monyth in the ghere be ii evyl dayes ... f. 12v [For hym that may not slepe] ... and mak therof a playstre and bynd it to the seke hede.

5. ff. 13r-32v Anonymous, De urinis

f. 13r Hec est tabula istius libri secundum ordinem urinarum. Presens liber de Iudiciis urinarum de latino in anglicum per Iohannem l. summi gratia fauentis translatus per medicos sublimes approbatus sicut incipit prologus. Of urynes ther ben 4 qualites ... f. 32v ... thei sygnyfye that dethe approchethe nere to the man or woman that is seke.

c. 1425

1 volume 32 ll. 4to. 201/2 x 131/2 cm. Modern calf-gilt binding. Some leaves slightly stained, margins cropped in re-binding. Written in a semi-cursive rounded gothic hand, 24-29 lines to a page. Ornamental initials in blue and red, with marginal decorations on fol. 1 and fol. 13: other initials in blue, paragraph marks in red. A foliation in pencil has been added.

Written in a semi-cursive rounded gothic hand, 24-29 lines to a page. Ornamental initials in blue and red, with marginal decorations on fol. 1 and fol. 13: other initials in blue, paragraph marks in red. A foliation in pencil has been added.

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

Purchased 1928.

Catalogue description modified in 2014. For original description, see S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).

It is suggested that the 'Johannes 1.' who is stated to be the translator of the tract 'De urinis' (No. 5) may possibly be John Lelamour or Lelarmouse, Master of Hereford School in 1373, who translated the 'De viribus herbarum' of Macer Floridus. Copies of this are recorded in Young's 'Catalogue of MSS. in the Library of the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow. No. 497, and in Scott's 'Index to the Sloane MSS. in the British Museum', p. 305. This MS. is entered in the Fourth Report of the Historical MSS. Commission Appendix. 1873. p. 359. (Mostyn MSS.). Anglo Saxon letter forms in Moorat's catalogue description (such as contraction marks and Thorn and yogh symbols) have been replaced with Latin characters.

Armorial book-plate of Lord Mostyn (Sir Edward Mostyn [1805-1884]).