Liber marescalciae equorum

In Flemish.

Written by a semi-current gothic book-hand in double column of 31-37 lines to a column: spaces for capitals. The pages are unnumbered.

Part of the first page is wanting, as the upper part of the leaf has been torn off: the chapter ends, line 10: '...end sacht/moedich tot sinen here end/tot sinen voeder'. This first chapter in the manuscript appears to be numbered II, which is in accordance with the index.

The last chapter, numbered CXCI, is 'Teghen die hete pisse'. This ends line 15: '...den parde/gheuen sal te drinken end/et sal alghenesen'.

After this come various receipts.

Below this another contemporary hand has written a receipt in 6 lines 'Tot dye crone van die woet'.

Finally comes the Index, listing chapters numbered from II to CXCI.

Late 15th Century

1 volume 75 ll. 4to. 24 x 16 cm. On vellum, modern boards. A leaf is wanting after fol. 35, the first leaf is defective, the second and third damaged in the upper corners: there is a small hole in fol. 35: many leaves are worn and stained.

Purchased at Sotheby's 24/1/1899, Lot 746.

According to Sir F. Smith in his Early history of veterinary literature, vol. 1, the number of chapters in this work vary greatly in the MSS. The Sicilian MS. printed by Delprato has 181 chapters. This MS. contains 191, and begins with a chapter numbered ii, in Delprato's MS.: it is No. 1 'Dela natura dellu cavallu'. Sarton in his Introduction to the history of science, Vol. III, part 1, p. 858, does not mention any Flemish MS. of this work.

Database description transcribed from 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).