Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

A catalogue of Western manuscripts and papyri at Cambridge University Library, the Fitzwilliam Museum and selected Cambridge colleges

Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College, MS 50/27

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 11864

Contents

Introduction: The manuscript contains 24 treatises from the Hippocratic corpus. Although considered the most famous physician of Greek antiquity, and the founder of scientific medicine in Greece, very little is known about Hippocrates (ca. 460-370 BCE). The Hippocratic corpus comprises about 70 medical works, but in the opinion of scholars none can be confidently attributed to him. The manuscript was copied in the first half of the 16th century by a still anonymous scribe, who copied also, for example, MS Par. Suppl. gr. 195. On the basis of the nature of the text copied in the manuscript, some scholars have placed its copy after 1538 (see Origin for details). Since the texts contain some lessons from the Basel printed edition of Hippocrates by Janus Cornarius of 1538, this date should be taken as terminus post quem for the copy (see Rivier 1962, pp. 136-137; Ecca 2016, p. 63). Dr Erika Elia

Language(s): Greek

1. ff.1r-1v
Hippocrates, Vow Iusiurandum
Rubric: f. 1r Ἱπποκράτους γένος καὶ βίος κατὰ Σωράν[sic]. Ἱπποκράτους ὅρκος
Incipit: f. 1r ⟨Ὄ⟩μνυμι Ἀπόλλωνα ἰητρὸν, καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸν· καὶ Ὑγείαν
Explicit: f. 1v l. 1 τἀναντία τουτέων.

TLG 0627.013

2. ff.1v-2r
Hippocrates, Law Lex
Rubric: f. 1v l. 2 Νόμος Ἱπποκράτους
Incipit: f. 1v Ἰητρικὴ, τεχνέων μὲν πασέων ἐστὶν ἐπιφανεστάτη
Explicit: f. 2r l. 9 πρινὴ τελεσθῶσιν ὀργίοισιν ἐπιστήμης.

TLG 0627.014

3. ff. 2r-6v
Hippocrates, De arte
Rubric: f. 2r l. 10 Περὶ τέχνης
Incipit: f. 2r Εἰσί τινες· οἳ τέχνην πεποίηνται
Explicit: f. 6v l. 7 ἢ ἐξ ὧν ἀκούσωσιν.

TLG 0627.018

4. ff. 6v-15v
Hippocrates, De prisca medicina
Rubric: f. 6v l. 8 Περὶ ἀρχαίης ἰητρικῆς
Incipit: f. 6v Ὁκόσοι ἐπεχείρησαν περὶ ἰητρικῆς
Explicit: f. 15v τὸ προσωτάτω τοῦ ἀνεπιτηδείου ἀπέχον.
Final rubric: f. 15v l. 19 Τέλος τοῦ περὶ ἀρχαίης ἰητρικῆς

TLG 0627.001

5. ff. 15v-18r
Hippocrates, Praeceptiones Praecepta
Rubric: f. 15v l. 20 Ἱπποκράτους παραγγελίαι
Incipit: f. 15v Ὁ χρόνος ἐστὶν ἐν ᾧ καιρός
Explicit: f. 18r l. 29 τόπος ὀνησιφόρος.

TLG 0627.051

6. ff. 18r-21r
Hippocrates, De decente habitu
Rubric: f. 18r l. 30 Περὶ εὐσχημοσύνης
Incipit: f. 18v Οὐκαλόγως[sic] οἱ προβαλλόμενοι τὴν σοφίην
Explicit: f. 21r l. 19 ἐς σύνεσιν καθίστανται.

The title has been written a second time by the scribe in the upper margin of f. 18v

TLG 0627.050

7. ff. 21r-27v
Hippocrates, De natura hominis
Rubric: f. 21r l. 20 Περὶ φύσιος ἀνθρώπου
Incipit: f. 21r Ὅστις μὲν εἴωθεν ἀκούειν
Explicit: f. 27v l. 27 ἢν μὴ ἄλλό τι κακουργῆται ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

TLG 0627.019

8. ff. 27v-30v
Hippocrates, De diaeta salubri
Rubric: f. 27v l. 28 Περὶ διαίτης χειμῶνος
Incipit: f. 27v Τοὺς ἰδιώτας ὧδε χρὴ διαιτᾶσθαι
Explicit: f. 30v ἐν τῇσι νούσοισιν ὠφελέεσθαι.
Final rubric: f. 30v l. 13 Τέλος Ἱπποκράτους περὶ φύσιος ἀνθρώπου

The treatises De natura hominis and De diaeta have been edited as separate texts, or as a single text

TLG 0627.020

9. ff. 30v-33v
Hippocrates, De genitura
Rubric: f. 30v l. 14 Ἱπποκράτους, περὶ γονῆς. Τοῦτο δὲ Πολύβου εἶναι φησὶν ὁ Γαληνός
Incipit: f. 30v Νόμος μὲν, πάντα κρατύνει
Explicit: f. 33v ἀναβήσομαι δ’ αὖθις ὀπίσω ἐς τὸν λόγον ὃν ἔλεγον.
Final rubric: f. 33v l. 23 Τέλος τοῦ περὶ γονῆς Ἱπποκράτους

On the question whether the treatises De genitura and De natura pueri built a single text, see F. Giorgianni, Hippokrates, Über die Natur des Kindes (De genitura und De natura pueri), Wiesbaden 2006, pp. 1-5

TLG 0627.024 (É. Littré, Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, 7, Paris 1851 [repr. Amsterdam 1962], pp. 470-484)

10. ff. 33v-45v
Hippocrates, De natura pueri
Rubric: f. 33v l. 24 Ἱπποκράτους περὶ φύσεως παιδίου
Incipit: f. 33v Ἢν ἡ γονὴ μείνῃ ἀπ’ ἀμφοῖν
Explicit: f. 45v Οὗτος ὁ λόγος ὧδε εἰρημένος ἅπας τέλος ἔχει.
Final rubric: f. 45v l. 4 Τέλος τοῦ περὶ φύσεως παιδίου

On the question of whether the treatises De genitura and De natura pueri constitute a single text, see F. Giorgianni, Hippokrates, Über die Natur des Kindes (De genitura und De natura pueri), Wiesbaden 2006, pp. 1-5

TLG 0627.024 (É. Littré, Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, 7, Paris 1851 [repr. Amsterdam 1962], pp. 486-542)

11. ff. 45v-81v
Hippocrates, De articulis
Rubric: f. 45v l. 5 Ἱπποκράτους τὸ περὶ ἄρθρων, αὐτίκα περὶ ὤμου· ὃ γνήσιον αὐτοῦ τούτου εἶναι φησὶν ὁ Γαληνός
Incipit: f. 45v Ὤμου δὲ ἄρθρον ἕνα τρόπον
Explicit: f. 81v l. 23 κατὰ λόγον τὸν πρότερον.

TLG 0627.010

12. ff. 81v-86r
Hippocrates, De humoribus
Rubric: f. 81v l. 24 Λόγος ἐνδέκατος[sic] Ἱπποκράτους περὶ χυμῶν· γνήσιον εἶναι τοῦτο Ἱπποκράτους φησὶν ὁ Γαληνός· πλὴν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν τινὰ μὲν, ἐς βραχυλογίαν ἐσχάτην ἐσφιγμένα· τινὰ δὲ ἐκτεταμένα τοῦ συμμέτρου πλέον χρεία ἐξηγητοῦ
Incipit: f. 81 Τὸ χρῶμα τῶν χυμῶν
Explicit: f. 86r l. 3 ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἰητρευθῆ[sic], ἐπιπονώτερος.

TLG 0627.015

13. ff. 86r-88r
Hippocrates, De alimento
Rubric: f. 86r l. 4 Ἱπποκράτους περὶ τροφῆς· τοῦτο τὸ σύγγραμ⟨μα⟩ φησὶν ὁ Γαληνὸς μὴ εἶναι Ἱπποκράτους, πλὴν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πάλιν τοῦ τυχόντος σοφοῦ· καὶ ἴσως ἂν ἴη[sic] τοῦ Θεσσαλοῦ. Δοκεῖ δὲ, ὑπὸ Ἡροφίλου συγκεῖσθαι
Incipit: f. 86r Τροφὴ καὶ τροφῆς εἶδος
Explicit: f. 88r l. 23 ὑγρασίη τροφῆς ὄχημα.

TLG 0627.046

14. ff. 88r-93v
Hippocrates, De ulceribus
Rubric: f. 88r l. 24 Ἱπποκράτους περὶ ἑλκῶν
Incipit: f. 88r Ἕλκεα ξύμπαντα, οὐ χρὴ τέγγειν
Explicit: f. 93v ἑστηκότι ὀρθῷ, ἢν δύνηται ἑστάναι.

TLG 0627.028

15. ff. 94r-102r
Hippocrates, De morbo sacro
Rubric: f. 94r Ἱπποκράτους περὶ ἱερῆς νόσου· οὐ γνήσιοι Ἱπποκράτους τοῦτο λέγει ὁ Γαληνὸς· ἀξιολόγου δέ τινος ἀνδρὸς καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν καὶ κατὰ τὴν διάνοιαν· Ἱπποκράτους γὰρ, οὐδὲν δοκεῖ ἔχειν· οὔτε κατὰ τὸν τρόπον τῆς ἑρμηνείας, οὔτε κατὰ τὸ ἀκριβὲς τῆς διανοίας
Incipit: f. 94r Περὶ τῆς ἱερῆς νόσου καλεομένης ὧδ’ ἔχει
Explicit: f. 101v καὶ πάσης ἄλλης τοιαύτης βαναυσίης.
Final rubric: f. 102r l. 1 Τέλος περὶ τῆς ἱερῆς νόσου

TLG 0627.027

16. ff. 102r-159r
Hippocrates, De morbis i-iv
16.1. ff. 102r-114v
Book 1
Rubric: f. 102r l. 2 Ἱπποκράτους γνήσιον νούσων πέρι τὸ πρῶτον
Incipit: f. 102r Ὃς ἂν περὶ ἰήσιος
Explicit: f. 114v ψύχεται πάντα καὶ ἀποθνήσκει.
Final rubric: f. 114v l. 20 Τέλος περὶ νούσων τὸ πρῶτον

TLG 0627.023

16.2. ff. 114v-136r
Book 2
Rubric: f. 114v l. 21 Ἱπποκράττους[sic] περὶ νούσων τὸ δεύτερον
Incipit: f. 114v Οὐρέεται πολλὸν ὅταν ὑπερθερμανθῇ ἡ κεφαλή
Explicit: f. 136r l. 20 καὶ ὑποκλύζειν.

TLG 0627.023

16.3. ff. 136r-144v
Book 3
Rubric: f. 136r l. 21 Περὶ νούσων Ἱπποκράτους τὸ τρίτον
Incipit: f. 136r Κεφάλαιον δέκατον ἕβδομον. Περὶ μὲν νυ[sic] πυρετῶν ἁπάντων
Explicit: f. 144v l. 11 καὶ διὰ τῆς κοιλίης χολὴν ἄγει.

TLG 0627.023

16.4. ff. 144v-159r
Book 4
Rubric: f. 144v l. 11 Ἱπποκράτους περὶ νούσων τὸ τέταρτον
Incipit: f. 144v Τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐς τὴν γένεσιν
Explicit: f. 159r l. 11 καὶ ὅτι τὰ σημεῖα αὐτοῦ τάδε.

The text indicated in the manuscript as the 4th book of De morbis has been published as a single work with Hippocrates' De genitura, de natura pueri: É. Littré, Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, 7, Paris 1851 (repr. Amsterdam 1962), pp. 470-614 (TLG 0627.024): 542-614; R. Joly, Hippocrate, 11, Paris 1970, pp. 84-124; on the subject see Joly 1970, pp. 10-13

TLG 0627.024

17. ff. 159r-172r
Hippocrates, De affectionibus
Rubric: f. 159r l. 12 Ἱπποκράτους περὶ παθῶν· τοῦτο δὲ ὁ Γαληνὸς τοῦ Πολύβου λέγει
Incipit: f. 159r Ἄνδρα χρὴ ὅστις ἐστὶ συνετός
Explicit: f. 172r ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον βλάπτει ἢ ὠφελέει.
Final rubric: f. 172r l. 2 Τέλος περὶ τῶν ἔξω παθῶν

TLG 0627.025

18. ff. 172r-199v
Hippocrates, De affectionibus interioribus
Rubric: f. 172r l. 3 Ἱπποκράτους περὶ τῶν ἐντὸς παθῶν· παθῶν ὁ παθῶν ψυχικῶν φύλατέμε[sic]· περὶ ἑλκώσεως ἀρτηρίης
Incipit: f. 172r Ἢν ἡ τοῦ πλεύμονος ἀρτηρίη
Explicit: f. 199v ἐν πτισάνῃ ἑφθῇ λεπτῇ καὶ μέλιτι.
Final rubric: f. 199v l. 18 Τέλος περὶ τῶν ἐντὸς παθῶν Ἱπποκράτους

TLG 0627.032

19. ff. 199v-230v
Hippocrates, De diaeta, i-iii De victus ratione, i-iii

TLG 0627.031 (É. Littré, Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, 6, Paris 1849 (repr. Amsterdam 1962), pp. 466-636; in this edition Littré included as the 4th book of this work the treatise De insomniis, which follows in this manuscript)

19.1. ff. 199v-210v
Book 1
Rubric: f. 199v l. 19 Περὶ διαίτης τὸ πρῶτον Ἱπποκράτους.
Incipit: f. 199v Εἰ μὲν μοί τις ἐδόκεε τῶν πρότερον
Explicit: f. 210v ἀδύνατον ἐκ διαίτης ἀλλοιῶσαι.
Final rubric: f. 210v Τέλος περὶ διαίτης τὸ πρῶτον
19.2. ff. 211r-222r
Book 2
Rubric: f. 211r Ἱπποκράτους περὶ διαίτης, τὸ δεύτερον
Incipit: f. 211r Χωρέων δὲ θέσιν καὶ φύσιν
Explicit: f. 222r τῷ σώματι τὴν δίαιταν ἡσυχῇ.
Final rubric: f. 222r l. 15 Τέλος περὶ διαίτης τὸ δεύτερον
19.3. ff. 222r-230v
Book 3
Rubric: f. 222r l. 15 Ἱπποκράτους διαιτητικὸς τρίτος
Incipit: f. 222r Περὶ δὲ τῶν τεκμηρίων τῶν ἐν τοῖσιν ὕπνοισιν
Explicit: f. 230v l. 11 περιπάτους δὲ, μὴ ποιῆσαι ὅλως.
20. ff. 230v-234v
Hippocrates, De insomniis
Rubric: f. 230v l. 11 Περὶ ἐνυπνίων
Incipit: f. 230v Περὶ δὲ τῶν τεκμηρίων τῶν ἐν τοῖσιν ὕπνοισιν
Explicit: f. 234v ὡς δυνατὸν εὑρεῖν ἄνθρωπον ἐόντα ξὺν τοῖσι θεοῖσιν.
Final rubric: f. 234v l. 14 Τέλος περὶ τῶν ἐνυπνίων Ἱπποκράτους

Littré in his edition treats this as the 4th book of the treatise De diaeta (the preceding text in this manuscript)

TLG 0627.031 (É. Littré, Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, 6, Paris 1849 (repr. Amsterdam 1962), pp. 640-662)

21. ff. 234v-236r
Hippocrates, De visu
Rubric: f. 234v l. 15 Ἱπποκράτους περὶ ὄψιος
Incipit: f. 234v Αἱ ὄψιες αἱ διεφθαρμέναι
Explicit: f. 236r τὴν ἀπάλειψιν[sic] ξυμφέρει ποιέεσθαι.
Final rubric: f. 236r l. 14 Τέλος περὶ ὄψιος Ἱπποκράτους

TLG 0627.047

22. ff. 236r-238r
Hippocrates, De diebus iudicatoriis
Rubric: f. 236r l. 15 Ἱπποκράτους περὶ κρισίμων
Incipit: f. 236r Μέγα κέρδος ἡγέομαι τῆς τέχνης
Explicit: f. 238r ἡ κατάστασις τῶν πυρετῶν.
Final rubric: f. 238r Τέλος περὶ κρισίμου Ἱπποκράτους

TLG 0627.053

23. ff. 238v-239v
Hippocrates, Aphorismi, cap. 1
Rubric: f. 238v Ἱπποκράτους ἀφορισμοί
Incipit: f. 238v Τμῆμα πρῶτον. ⟨ Ὁ⟩ βίος βραχύς
Explicit: f. 239v τὰ δ’ ἐναντία, δυσχερῶς.

A final rubric, ‘ Τέλος τοῦ α΄’ was added by another hand

TLG 0627.012

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Western paper, folded in folio. Watermarks: ff. 1-199, 200, 204-205, 209 Anchor in a circle, surmounted by a six-point star ( 65 × 45 mm. ), in the centre of the leaf, comparable to Harlfinger Ancre 11 , which is dated to 1504. ff. 201-203, 206-208 Crossbow in a circle ( 50 × 45 mm. ), in the centre of the leaf, comparable to Sosower Arbalète 3 , which is dated in the beginning of th 16th c., and to Harlfinger Arbalète 51 , which is dated in 1509. ff. 210-239 Anchor ( 55 × 43 mm. ), in the centre of the leaf, comparable to Briquet Ancre 447 , which is dated in 1520. ff. [III]-[IV] Cardinal's hat with countermark ‘ 3 A b’ (?) ( 45 × 45 mm. ), in the centre of the leaf, comparable to Briquet Chapeau 3509 , which is dated to 1517. f. [I] Scale with triangular plates, surmounted by a star (?), in the centre of the leaf, the watermark is only partially visible.
Extent: Codex: 1 + 240 + 2 leaves. 330 × 230 mm.
Foliation:

Foliation in brown ink in the upper margin, right, from 1 to 239: [I]-II + 1-239 + [III]-[IV]

Collation

The manuscript consists of 24 quinions.

  • 1 endleaf ff. [I] (16th c.)
  • Quires 1-2410 ff. II, 1-239
  • 2 endleaves ff. [III]-[IV] (16th c.)

Two signatures, original to the production of the manuscript, are still visible in the lower margin, right, of ff. 70r, η΄ (8), and 110r, ιβ΄ (12); the other signatures were lost to trimming. Vertical catchwords by the scribe in the lower margin, near the gutter, written from the top down.

Condition

The manuscript is in fair condition. Throughout the manuscript there are some dark and humidity stains.

Layout

ff. 1r-239v A single column of 30 lines. 215 × 120 mm.

Hand(s)

ff. 1r-239v Hand A: the texts have been copied by a single scribe in a minuscule script datable to the first half of the 16th c. The scribe does not write iota subscript. The hand is the same as that which wrote Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Suppl. gr. 195 . Gärtner (2015, p. 59) identifies the same hand in another manuscript of Hippocrates, Leiden, Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit, Voss. gr. F° 53 (it was not possible to verify this identification).

The text is written in a brown ink, titles and initials in red.

Hand a: passim in the margins there are a few annotations in brown ink by John Caius, see e.g. ff. 160r, 199v.

Decoration

Simple friezes in red ink precede some of the texts:

  • ff. 199v, 222r, 234v repeating pattern of undulating lines
  • f. 211r rope motif
  • f. 236r a single line

Thick red ink initials sometimes very simply decorated, see e.g. f. 6v. Blank space for larger initials has been left, e.g. on f. 1r.

Additions

On f. [I] verso there is a table of the manuscript's contents written by John Caius, with references to the manuscript's foliation.

On f. II recto there is a note concerning John Caius' donation of the manuscript to the College.

On f. II recto and in the upper margin of f. 1r is written the number ‘ 4’.

Binding

Modern western binding. Wooden boards; leather on spine and a third of the boards. The leather, which has been reused from the previous binding, shows a blind tooled geometrical decoration with rhombuses and small flowers. On the spine are pasted two paper labels with the two shelfmarks ‘27’ (in red) and ‘50’ (in black). 347 × 220 × ca. 60 mm.

The leather is worn.

Accompanying Material

On ff. [I] recto and [IV] verso are pasted two parchment strips from a manuscript in Latin ( James 1907, dates it in the 14th c. in Italy).

History

Origin:

The manuscript was copied in the first half of the 16th century, after 1538; since the texts contain some lessons from the Basel printed edition of Hippocrates by Janus Cornarius of 1538, this date should be taken as terminus post quem for the copy (see Rivier 1962, pp. 136-137; Ecca 2016, p. 63).

Provenance and Acquisition

The manuscript was owned by John Caius (1510-1573) .

The manuscript was donated to the College Library by John Caius (see note on f. II recto: ‘ Collegio suo de Goneville | et Caius in Canta|brigia, Joannes Caius | dono dedit’). On the left board's interior is pasted the Gonville and Caius College bookplate (with handwritten shelfmarks in red, ‘ 27’, and black ‘ 50’).

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description (2021) draws partly on M.R. James, A descriptive catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Library of Gonville and Caius College, vol. 1, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1907, pp. 41-43.

Availability

Visitors to Gonville and Caius College who wish to consult Lower Library material are required to apply to the Library in advance of their visit. For information on eligibility and admission procedures see: Gonville and Caius College: Library Information.

Bibliography

    Die Handschriften der antiken Ärzte. I. Teil: Hippokrates und Galenos, Diels, Hermann (Berlin, Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1905) A descriptive catalogue of the manuscripts in the library of Gonville and Caius College, James, M. R. (Cambridge, University Press, 1907) Recherches sur la tradition manuscrite du traité hippocratique "De morbo sacro" Travaux publiés sous les auspices de la Société suisse des sciences morales, Rivier, André (Berne, Francke, 1962) John Caius' Library Biographical history of Gonville and Caius College, 1349-1897 : containing a list of all known members of the college from the foundation to the present time, with biographical notes/ compiled by John Venn., Grierson,, P. (Cambridge, 7, University Press, 1978) John Caius and the manuscripts of Galen Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society. Supplementary volumes ; No.13, Nutton, Vivian (Cambridge, Philological Society, 1987) Hippocrate La nature de l'homme Corpus Medicorum Graecorum, (Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter, 2002) Byzantine medical manuscripts: towards a new catalogue, with a specimen for an annotated checklist of manuscripts based on an index of Diels' catalogue Byzantion: Revue internationale des Études Byzantines, Touwaide, Alain (79, 453-595, 2009) Hippocratis De humoribus: Corpus Medicorum Graecorum, (Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter, 2014) Galeni De locis affectis I-II Corpus Medicorum Graecorum, (Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter, 2015) Die hippokratische Schrift Praecepta: kritische Edition, Übersetzung und Kommentar : mit Anhang, ein Scholion zu Praec. 1 Serta Graeca, (Wiesbaden, DrLudwig Reichert Verlag, 2016) A census of Greek medical manuscripts: from Byzantium to the Renaissance Medicine in the medieval Mediterranean, Touwaide, A. (London, Routledge, 2016)

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The Polonsky Foundation

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