Introduction:
This manuscript contains a large collection of medical and culinary recipes in Middle
English. It also
contains a compilation of selections from the instruction manual in Middle English
prose and verse that was known as
the The Book of Hawking, Hunting, and Blasing of Arms or The Boke of St
Albans. This work was first printed by the so-called Schoolmaster Printer at St Albans in
1486. This print
includes a treatise on hunting (The manere of huntynge for all manere of bestys) that partly
takes the form of an instruction from a 'Dame' to her 'child' and associates it with
a 'Dam Julyans Barnes' in its
colophon: ‘Explicit Dam Julyans Barnes in her boke of huntyng.’. Pepys MS 1047 does
not contain materials from
this hunting treatise but a selection from additional materials that follow it in
the 1486 print of The Boke of St Albans. Although these additional materials are not associated with 'Dam Julyans Barnes',
Pepys MS 1047 does refer to her at the end of one of its texts (see f. 5v: 'Explicit
Julyan Barne'). This makes Pepys MS 1047 one of two manuscript copies from The Boke of St
Albans to ascribe (part of) its contents to this female author; the other manuscript is
London, British Library, Harley MS 2340
[see Boffey (2004)].
A copy of the 1486 edition at Cambridge University Library contains annotations by
William Burton
(1575–1645), historian of Leicestershire, who calls 'Dam Julyans Barnes' the work's
author and identifies her as 'Lady
Julian Berners', the daughter of Sir James Berners, of Berners Roding, in Essex, and
prioress of the Benedictine
nunnery of Sopwell, situated a stone's throw away from St Albans. However, there are
no sources to corroborate this
identification. Moreover, it is unknown what involvement 'Dam Julyans Barnes' had
with the work: instead of an author,
she may have been an owner, commissioner, or copyist as well [see Boffey (2004)].
Dr Clarck Drieshen| Project Cataloguer| Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries
Language(s): Middle English and Latin
2. 1r-1v
Medical recipe for the stomach
Language(s): Middle English
Rubric:
1r A medesyn for the stomake
Incipit:
1v Take sugur and tempyr hit with water yn a dysh then streyn hit through a
fayre clene cloth and put ther to the clenest floure that ye can gett
Explicit:
1v And yf hit will not rolle take the more of the sugure. To a pynte of water
take an egge
eVK2 6016.00 (v0074480000)
3. 1v-2r
Medical recipe for the toothache
Language(s): Middle English
Rubric:
1v ffor the toth ake
Incipit:
1v-2r Take a baggyd cony and flee here and take oute the knottes and boyle them
with brynstone in a littell water then take a glove of lethere and let the glove tille
fro your hand to your elbowe
and boyle them yn the foresaid water tyll hit be sodyn and then take an vnce or more
of assafetida and boyle all to
gedere etcetera
Full transcription.
5. 6r-7r
Collection of medical and household recipes
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
6r ffor the fflyx a gode medecyn: Take a pynte of rede wyne and a pynte of hote
mylke drynke them to gether with .ij. callys of a gose at onys hote of .ij. coppys
Explicit:
6v-7r ffor the colycke and the stone: Take sawmper and take the levys and dry
them yn the son or yn a oven on a fayre stone or borde and make powder ther of and
vse this poudere when ye be payned
take þe powder and put hit in your potage or yn gode ale and ye schall be esyd
The non-medical recipes include instructions for protecting clothes against the clothes
moth ['To cause mogthys do
no hurte to clothes'] (f. 6r).
eVK2 4783.00 (v0074490000)
6. 7r
Method for catching a pike
Language(s): Middle English
Rubric:
7r To take a pyke yn the water
Incipit:
7r Take a raw chekyn and clense hit and fyll hit blacke sope and knytt both the
endys and pryck hit full of holys and ley hit in þe [crossed out: 'l'] ryver and as
sone as he hath etyn hit he wyll
comen to land
Full transcription.
7. 7r-13r
Collection of culinary recipes
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
7r Gentyll manly Cokere and copyd of the Sergent to the kyng: To make a stew of
flesh yf thy potte be .iiij. gallons do yn a quarte of wyn take fayre befe of the
fore loyne or of the hynder loyne
and myns itt and take gode capons with all
Explicit:
13r To make water of alym: Take a clene bassyn and put yn
water and podour of alym and then set hit yn the hote sonne and||
The final recipe is imperfect because the lower portion of the page, containing its
ending, has been cut out.
8. 13v
Charm for staunching blood [Flum Jordan]
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: ||
13v flome Jurdeyn and styntyst the water vpon the stone so
stynte thys blode of this man or woman .N. thy seruaunte throw vertu of thy holi name
Jhesus and of thy cosyn swete
Seynte John and say thys charme .v. tymes with .v. pater nosters In worshipp of the
.v. wondys of oure lorde
Incipit: ||
13v A Charme for the blody flyx: In nomine + patris + et
filij + et spiritus + Amen + Stabat Jhesus contra flumen Jordanis et posuit pedem
suum et dixit sta aqua per deum te
coniuro longinus miles latus domini nostri Jhesu Christi lancia perforauit et continuo
exiuit sanguis redempcionis et
aqua baptismatis. In nomine Jhesu sta resta + sanguis + In nomine filij + cessa sanguis
+ In nomine spiritus sancti +
vt non exiat amplius sanguis nec gutta ab hoc homine vel ab hac muliere famula uel
famulo dei .N. + Sicut credimus in
sancta maria vera mater
Full transcription; the charm is missing its beginning because the lower portion of
the page, containing its
beginning on the recto side, has been cut out.
9. 14r-15v
Collection of culinary recipes
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
14r Egges in brewte: Take water and seth hit. in the same water breke your
egges and cast ther on gyngere pepur and saferon than temper hit vp with swete mylke
and boyle hit and then kerve
chese and cast ther to small kutte and when hit ys ynowgh serue hit furth
Explicit:
15r To make sauce for a pyke: Take the resette of the pyke and mynse hit
small and put hit yn a dysche and take a gode mese of musterd and put of the best
and fattest of þe broth a litell in
the saucer and schakyd and put hit in the dysche with the resete and put yn a litell
vyneager and a lytell vergys ther
to and a grete quantite of synamom and sugure and lityll gynger and as ye fele hit
with your mowth ye may all way
amend hit etcaetera
10. 15r-16v
Collection of culinary recipes in verse
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
15r Sauce for a mawlerd rosted: Take onyons and mense them wele / Put sum yn
thy mawlerd so have þou sele / And mynce mo vnyons I the ken / With the grece of the
mawlerd seth hit then / Put ale
musterd and hony there to / Boyle all to gedere tyll hit be enowe
Explicit:
16r-16v All maner herbys gode for potage: Take the croppe of rede brere /
Rede nettyll croppe and avance also / Prymerose violet to gedere most goo / Letyse
betys and borage gode / Towne
cresse and cresse that groweth yn flode / Clare savery tyme gode wone / Parcelle worth
other herbe many one / All
these herbes thow not for sake / But best of prymerose thow schalt take / Rede cole
halfe parte of potage ys / ffro
June to seynte Jame tyde I wys / Then wynter hys cowrse schall holde / In lent seson
porray be bolde
A collection of four recipes for making a sauce for roasted duck, preparing woodcock,
and making fritters and a
herbs potage; all are associated with the Liber Cure Cocorum a collection of versified recipes
in
London, British Library, Sloane
MS 1986
.
IMEV 3254.5, 2361, 854.8, 4187.5, 3255.5
NIMEV 3254.5, 2361, 854.8, 4187.5, 3255.5
DIMEV 5104.1, 3799.1, 1420.1, 6721.1, 5106.1
eVK2 5784.00 (v0074500000)
11. 16v
Two culinary recipes
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
16v To dyght a crabe: Take out all yn the crabe and lay hit yn a lityll
Wyneagyre take and put a litell rede wyne there to and streyne all trowgh a streynnour
take pouder of gynger syamomme
and sugure and menge hem all to geder and put hym yn the schell and set hit on the
fyre tyll he boyll and when hit ys
boyled take hit of an cast pouder of syamomme and sugure apon and serue hit furth
Explicit:
16v To make gode almondys mylke: Take brokyn sugure or for fawte ther of take
claryfied hony and put hit into fayre water and set hit on the fyre and boyle hit
and skymme hit clene and set hit
besyde the fyre and let hit cole and then blanche thy almondys cast them yn a morter
and bray them small temper hem vp
with þe same water
12. 17r-17v
Collection of medical recipes
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
17r A gode medecyn provyd for the reynys of þe backe: Take perspere and herbe
yve and bray hit and streyn hit with olde ale or ellys make a posset and drynk the
ale fastyng or ellys to bedward and
walke hafter the space of an houre thys ys a soffereyn medecyn and a goode
Explicit:
17v ffor the tothe ake: Take a lytill rew and as moche of alym as a bene and
a gale that ye make ynke of and breke all thes to gether and put them yn a litell
bolster of lynne cloth a .ij.
fyngurs length and lay hit a while yn vyneagyr and then lay hit betwene thy gome and
thy cheke whan thow goyst to
bed
13. 17v-18r
Recipe for the pestilence in prose and verse
Language(s): Middle English
Rubric:
17v The most souereyn medycyn for the pestilence concludyd be docturs of
fesycke both beyonde the se and yn ynglond also abowte the kyng in late days yn the
reyngne of kyng Edward the iiij.
þe x yere
Incipit:
18r Take a .ij. spownfull of water and .i. spounfull of vyneagyre and as moche
tryacle as a bene and menge all thes togethur and drynke hit fastyng onys yn a weke
or .ij. yn a moneth and yff thow
be not infecte hit schall preserue the and if thow be infecte hit schall save thy
lyffe with goode rewle thys ys
provyd and hath saued iij or iiij houndere mens lyvys and wemen and chyldrn yn the
cite of Wynchestere in the yere of
the kyng above sayde
Explicit:
18r All ys gode but best ys thys / God graunte vs all hevyn blysse -
Amen
Full transcription.
IMEV 189.5
NIMEV 189.5
DIMEV 340.1
eVK2 4901.00 (v0074510000)
14. 18r-19r
Collection of medical recipes
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
18r A gode medecyn for the syctica and oft provyd: Take a spounefull of the
gall of a rede oxe and .ij. spounfull of the water of culerage and .iiij. of his awne
water and as moche comyn as half
a freynch note and as moche sewet as a small notte
Explicit:
19r To breke a byle: Take grownde Ive and stampe hit and lay the Juse and
lefys all on a playstere and lay there to
15. 19r
Culinary recipe to make a stew of herring
Language(s): Middle English
Rubric:
19r ffor to stew herynges
Incipit:
19r Sethy heryng be well waterd and take owte the bone and take the myltys and
lay them yn a fayre dysh of water
Explicit:
19r and set them on þe fyre and so serue them furth
16. 19r-20r
Collection of medical recipes
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
19r for to knytte a senow or a vayne þat is brokyn: Take long wormes when they
gendyre and þen stampe them in a vessell and lay to the sore yn maner of a playster
Explicit:
19v-20r To kepe a ffebyll brayn fro dronkeschippe: Take yn the mornyng
fastyng .v. levys of bytten and ete them and kepe sum in thy hand to smell ther to
all the day among and thow shalt be
save
17. 20r
Methods for capturing salmon and pike
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
20r ffor to take samons: Go to the pole there ye suppose the samon lyeth and
make a litill hole hard by the water syde and set yn your candell and take a bryght
skowryd basyn and set be hynd the
candell and he wyll cum to the candell be kynd of nature
Explicit:
20r for to take a pyke in a poole: Take gutte of a chekyn and make hym clene
and take a litell blake sope and put hit yn a litylll of of [sic] the gutte and knyte
fast both endys and prycke hit
well with a pynne and cast hit into the pole where as the pyke ys and he ete hit he
schall turne vp the bely and so
dye etcaetera
18. 20r-20v
Two medical recipes
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
20r-20v Here begynneth gode medecyns and trew for the mygrayne: Take a serten
of prymerose levys .ij. partes and the iij parte of yowrthe [crossed out: 'Juse a']
ivys and make juse ther of and
take the seke man and lay hym vp ryght and put the juse at his nosetyrle [sic] on
the contrary syde that þe grevance
ys on and for enythyng þat may fall loke ther go no tyng yn his een
Explicit:
20v for the stone a precious medycyn: Take the levys of warmode and make juse
of the same herbe and take hit .iiij. morenynges fastyng a spounfull with olde ale
and thys prouyd
19. 20v-23r
Treatise on hunting, hawks and hakwing, excerpted from The Book of Hawking, Hunting,
and Blasing of
Arms [The Boke of St Albans]
(?) Juliana Berners [Bernes, Barnes] (fl. 1460)
Language(s): Latin
Rubric:
20v To helpe an hawke of dyvers sekenes
Incipit:
20v ffor the ree take the Juse of a dasy and hony and put hit yn the pallet of
the mowth that hit may stoppe the holes that ben yn the rofe of þe mowth
Explicit:
22v Thes ben of the swete foote: The fulmard the fychew the grey the ffox the
wheysyll the marteron the squyrrell þe waturrate the otur the stote the polkat. And
all thes ben gamys of the stynkyng
ffoote
Final rubric:
23r Here endys havkyng with medsysn and castyng / And all that longys to
goode hauke kepyng
This treatise comprises various sections from The Book of Hawking, Hunting, and Blasing
of Arms [The Boke of St
Albans], including sections on the names of dogs, the work of different hounds, hunting
terms, resting and mating, the
hierarchy of hawks and owners, wines, the ages of a hawk, and hawk's diseases and
remedies.
IMEV 1197.2
NIMEV 1197.2
DIMEV 1968.1
eVK2 6132.00 (v0074520000)
Hands (1975)
20. 23r-23v
Prognostications based on the day of the week on which Christmas falls
Language(s): Middle English
Incipit:
23r That yere that Cristysmas day fallyth on sonday Yemps schal be gode vere
wyndy Estas dry vyndege goode and plenty of schepe and of hony pes schall be and olde
folkes schall dye
Explicit:
23v That yere that Crystysmas day falleth on a satterday Wyntyr trobyll vere
wyndy ffrute travellous olde men schall dye and schepe perysche howses schall byrn
eVK2 6598.00 (v0074530000)
21. 23v
Virtues of the Mass (imperfect)
Language(s): Middle English
Rubric:
23v Here ben the medys of the masse
Incipit:
23v To hym that herys his masse and seys the blyssed lord in forme of brede as
sayth Seynte Austyn that day a man may not fayll his sustynaunce of his body
Explicit:
23v And yf a man dye that day withowte howsyll the syght of
goddys body schall be alowde for hym and stond for his howsyll and as long as thow
arte||
See McKitterick and Beadle (1992) for other copies.
Origin:
Late 15th century (in or after 1470/1471).
;
England.
For terminus ante quem non, see the medical recipe on ff. 17v-18r.
Provenance and Acquisition
Acquired before 1700 by
Samuel Pepys (1633–1703)
, naval officer and diarist: listed in the 1700
catalogue as 'A Miscellany of Receipts in Coookery etc. MSS temp. Ed. 4th'. ; no.
6801.82 in Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliæ et Hiberniæ (c. 1697); f. ii verso features an engraving of his portrait with the motto: 'Mens cujusque is est Quisque'
and 'Sam. Pepys. Car. et. Iac. Angl. Regib. A. Secretis. Admiraliae' by R. White ['R.
W. sculp.'], c. 1690 ; f. iii recto features a paper pastedown with Pepys's bookplate engraved with two
anchors and the motto 'Mens cujusque is est Quisque'.
Acquired by Magdalene College, Cambridge upon the death of
John Jackson (d. 1724)
: in his will (The National Archives, PROB 1/9, Will of Samuel Pepys, Codicil, 13th
May 1703), Pepys left a
bequest of approximately 3000 manuscripts and printed books to Magdalene College and
instructed his nephew John
Jackson to arrange for this but they only came to the college after Jackson died.
Jackson respected the instructions
given in the codicil to the will as can be evidenced from Magdalene College Archives
A/41/1: an indenture between Anne
Jackson, widow and executrix of John Jackson (nephew and residuary legatee of Samuel
Pepys), and the Master and
Fellows being a deed of covenant as to providing a Library at the College for the
reception of the collection of the
books and papers bequeathed to the College by Samuel Pepys, 1 June 1724. It is here
that the manuscript's current
shelfmark 'No 1047' was inscribed in red ink on f. i
verso (the inside of the upper cover).
