Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

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

Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31

Medicine and astronomy

Contents

Introduction: Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31 (hereafter Trinity MS O.8.31) is a composite manuscript that contains a compilation of popular scientific treatises on subjects at the intersection of medicine and the astronomical and astrological sciences. Comprising five main parts of varying date and place of origin, the manuscript was almost certainly bound in its present form by the third quarter of the 15th century, since it was once owned or used by Roger Marchall (c. 1417-1477) , a doctor and physician to Edward IV. Marchall added a table of contents on f. iii verso (that given on f. ii recto does not relate to this manuscript, but to another lost or unidentified volume) and inserted rubrics to some of these treatises where they appear in the manuscript. Texts matching the descriptions given by Marchall are to be found in four of the five central Parts (nos 2-3 and 5-6), confirming that none of these is a later addition to the manuscript, though there are some differences in attribution. For instance, the first and third texts in the table correspond to the first and third texts in Part 2, the Chirurgia of Henri de Mondeville (ff. 1r-63v) and the recipes from surgical treatises by Roger and Roland of Salerno (ff. 106r-108r). The text that sits between them, however, is described by Marchall as a 'Tractatus aquarum' and attributed to Petrus Hispanus, but as an 'Antidotarius' by Henri de Mondeville in the scribal rubric that marks its beginning (f. 65r). Further disparities between the table of contents and what follows suggests that the manuscript has been subject to some rearrangement, part of it at least at Marchall's hands. None of the texts in Part 4 is listed in Marchall's table of contents, but these five quires must have been in his possession, since two of the texts are prefaced by rubrics written by his hand (see ff. 132v and 134r). Notably, one of the two recipes in this Part for 'metheglyn', a spiced or medicated variety of mead, is written in Middle English; Marchall's manuscripts typically contain texts written only in Latin. Part 4 is preceded not by the deontological text Marchall described as 'De gestu medici erga infirmum' ('On the conduct of a doctor towards the patient'), which is not found in the volume, but by the text he listed last in his table: '8. Anothomia Magistri Ricardi' (ff. 113r-118v). Each Part of Trinity MS O.8.31 is written on paper and, as is sometimes found in books of this period, the quires have been reinforced by sewing guards: strips of parchment placed along the spinefold around the back and at the centre of each quire. It is often the case, as here, that these strips have been recycled from one or more manuscripts (usually documents), and occasionally enough of the text may be read to afford some clues as to the general location of the manuscript's binding and thus likely provenance (see Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.5.53 , for example). Unfortunately, for this manuscript, the sewing guards were cut vertically from their source, so only a couple of letters of a minute textualis bookhand are visible (see, for example, the image of f. 5r). Nevertheless, the source manuscript appears to have contained works of a scientific nature, since several of the guard strips bear brief sequences of medieval Hindu-Arabic numerals. Owing to the condition of the binding, and the narrowness of each guard, it has not been possible to digitise these elements. Roger Marchall's ownership or use of manuscripts is very well-attested, with forty-five surviving books (including this one) bearing evidence to connect him to them in some way; six others may have been his or accessed by him, and a further twelve are recorded but not traced. Thirteen manuscripts owned or used by Marchall (and another with possible Marchall connections) have been digitised, catalogued and conserved as part of the Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries project: Dr Sarah Gilbert|Project Cataloguer| Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries | and| Dr James Freeman| Medieval Manuscripts Specialist| Cambridge University Library References:
L. Voigts, 'A doctor and his books: the manuscripts of Roger Marchall (d. 1477)', in R. Beadle and A. J. Piper (eds.), New science out of old books: studies in manuscripts and early printed books in honour of A.I. Doyle (Aldershot, 1995) pp. 249-314

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: 2r: parte sua uel de continguentibus
Form: codex
Support: Parchment flyleaves (ff. i - iii and ff. iv-v); all other leaves paper.
Extent: Codex: ii + 3 | 112 | 14 | 36 | 14 | 21 | 2 + i leaves. 210 × 145 mm.
Foliation:

Current foliation: 16th century foliation sequence of core leaves with additional later designations for endleaves.

Folios [a]-[b] + i-iii | 1-112 | 113-126 | 127-162 | 162a, 163-175 | 176-196 | iv-v + [c]

The core leaves (ff. 1-196) are foliated in ink in Hindu-Arabic numerals in the upper outer corner of each recto in an early modern hand. The early-modern foliation sequence is correct apart from a duplicate designation of folio '162'; a later foliator has supplied the designation '162a' to the second of those two leaves. The early modern foliator's numbering is clear except for a tendency to write the character '1' in a form that resembles a narrow modern '4'. M. R. James misread some of this foliator's 1s as 4s and thereby introduced minor foliation inconsistencies into his catalogue record for this item.

The parchment endleaves are foliated in pencil in Roman numerals in the upper outer corner of each recto; the parchment endleaves at the beginning of the volume have the designations ff. i-iii and those at the rear of the volume have the designations iv-v. The paper endleaves at each end of the volume were assigned designations in 2024 when the manuscript was catalogued as part of the Curious Cures project in order to produce a functional TEI-XML record for this manuscript. The paper endleaves were assigned the designations ff. [a]-[b] for the leaves at the beginning of the volume and f. [c] for the paper leaf at the rear of the volume; these unofficial designations are enclosed in [square brackets] throughout this record.

Collation

This is a composite manuscript of several Parts; the distribution of the leaves is as follows:

  • Three medieval parchment endleaves (ff. i-iii) |
  • Quires 1-148 (ff. 1-112) |
  • Quire 158 (ff. 113-120)
  • Quire 166 (ff. 121-126) |
  • Quires 17-208 (ff. 127-158)
  • Quire 214 (ff. 159-162) |
  • Quire 228 (ff. 162a-169)
  • Quire 236 (ff. 170-175) |
  • Quire 2412 (ff. 176-187)
  • Quire 2510-1 (ff. 188-196: 10th leaf cancelled) |
  • Two medieval parchment endleaves (ff. iv-v) +

Three medieval parchment endleaves (ff. i-iii) | 1-148 | 158 166 17-208 214 | 228 236 | 2412 2510-1 (10th cancelled) | two medieval parchment endleaves (ff. iv-v)

No leaf signatures common to the entire manuscript.

No quire signatures common to the entire manuscript.

No catchwords common to the entire manuscript.

Binding

Quarter-bound in parchment with paper sides over paste- or mill-boards. No raised bands on spine. Spine capped at head and tail by back-material, no headbands visible.

Paper pastedowns at each end of the volume. The inside front cover contains the alphanumeric components of the present shelfmark 'O.7.37' written in ink.

Two paper endleaves, ff. [a]-[b] at the front of the volume and two paper endleaves, f. [c]-[d] at the rear of the volume; all paper endleaves probably contemporary with the volume and all blank.

Dimensions (L x W x H): 220 x 150 x 55 mm

Folios i-iii | 1-112 | 113-126 | 127-162 | 162a 163-175 | 176-196 | iv-v have almost certainly been bound together since the volume was used by Roger Marchall (c. 1417-1477) . Marchall seems to have been interested in curating the manuscripts in his possession, and seems to have made (or comissioned) a number of codicological interventions in the volumes he owned; many of the surviving Marchall manuscripts (such as this one) are highly composite, and show signs of having been deliberately arranged for Marchall into their current codicological format.

Trinity MS O.8.31 contains narrow parchment sewing guards along the spinefold around the back and at the centre of each quire. They were probably added when the composite volume was bound in its current arrangement, most likely for Roger Marchall (see Introduction for further discussion). The guards are narrow (less than 10mm wide, prior to folding) and were cut vertically from their source, so only a couple of letters of a minute textualis bookhand can be read on each. Furthermore, the fragility of the binding has limited the degree to which the manuscript may be opened safely in order to inspect the guards. Nevertheless, the presence on several of brief sequences of medieval Hindu-Arabic numerals, and the style of handwriting, suggest that their source was a late 13th- or early 14th-century book of scientific texts.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Owned by Roger Marchall (c. 1417-1477) , fellow of Peterhouse and medical doctor, who lived in London and was a physician to the royal household in his later years. Marchall added a number of notes and paratextual features to the volume including:

  • f. ii recto: A contents list for another (unidentified) volume
  • f. ii recto: Voigts suggests that the note 'citing Ptolomey on celestial distances' on this leaf is in Marchall's hand
  • f. iii verso: A numbered list of the contents of this volume (not noted by Voigts)
  • ff. 113r, 132v, 134r: rubrics to texts beginning on these leaves
  • ff. 134r-160r: Voigts suggests that the glosses on these leaves may be in Marchall's hand

L.E. Voigts, 'A Doctor and His Books: The Manuscripts of Roger Marchall (d. 1477)', in New Science out of Old Books: Studies in Manuscripts and Early Printed Books in Honour of A.I. Doyle, ed. by R. Beadle and A.J. Piper (Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1995), pp. 249–314, esp. p. 278

One of the manuscripts of Thomas Gale (b. 1635/36, d. 1702) dean of York, antiquary, and fellow of Trinity College Cambridge.

ODNB: Gale, Thomas (doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/10298)

One of the manuscripts of Roger Gale (1672-1744) , antiquary and scholar, son of Thomas Gale. Inherited from his father.

ODNB: Gale, Roger (doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/10294)

Donated to Trinity College by Thomas Gale , son of Roger Gale, in 1738. The Gale donation is recorded in .

Part 1a: parchment flyleaves [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31, ff. i-iii]

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. i verso
Partial list of the contents of the volume by a ?16th century hand
Language(s): Latin

Full transcription of list on f. i verso:| Solsequij Virtus 175b | Vrina non visa 173 | Tractatus de planetis 173b | Complexionum signa 160 | Morbus et sanitas quid 120 | & medicina quid (?)Jh

2. ii recto
List of the contents of an unidentified volume by the hand of Roger Marchall Roger Marchall
Language(s): Latin

Full transcription: In isto volumine continentur

  • Liber phisicorum
  • Methaphisica
  • Sextus naturalia scilicet de anima
  • Item logica
  • Musica magistri .j. de muris
  • Conclusiones astrolabij
  • Perspectiua
  • De legibus multiplicacionum
  • Algorismus fraccionum uersificatus cum alijs notabilibus astronomicis

The lemma 'Liber phisicorum' 'Methaphisica' and 'Sextus naturalia scilicet de anima' are enclosed in a bracket labelled 'Auicenne' and the lemma 'Perspectiua' and 'De legibus multiplicacionum' are enclosed in a bracket labelled 'bacon'

Note that this is list of the contents does not refer to Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31.

L.E. Voigts, 'A Doctor and His Books: The Manuscripts of Roger Marchall (d. 1477)', in New Science out of Old Books: Studies in Manuscripts and Early Printed Books in Honour of A.I. Doyle, ed. by R. Beadle and A.J. Piper (Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1995), pp. 249–314, esp Appendix I.C.d
3. ii verso
List of the contents of the volume by a 16th-century hand
Language(s): Latin

Full transcription of the list of the contents on f. ii verso: |

  • Chirurgia Armondae Villae Regis Francorum chirurgi fol. 1 .
  • Antidotarium Armondae Villae fol: 65.
  • Anatomia Richardi 113(?)
  • Serapionis medicinalia(?) 127
  • Reductio Astronomiae ad medicinalem facultatem 132b & 162
  • Chirurgia 134
  • Tractatus de Planetis 173b
  • Tab: Magistri Arnoldj de Villa nova 171
  • Gulielmj Anglici de non uisa urina 173
  • De compos: medicamentis 176
  • morborum quorundam definitiones 120

The final lemma is by another hand.

4. iii verso
List of the contents of the volume by the hand of Roger Marchall Roger Marchall
Language(s): Latin

Full transcription of the list of the contents of the volume by Roger Marchall on f. iii verso, all numbering Marchall's: Contenta in hoc Volumine sunt ista |

  • 1. Cirurgia magistri henrici de amanda villa
  • 2. Tractatus aquarum magistri petri hispani
  • 3. Experimenta quedam cirurgicalia
  • 4. De gestu medici erga infirmum
  • 5. Tabule magistri arnoldi de uilla noua
  • 6. Tractatus magistri willelmi de vrina non visa
  • 7. Quedam excerpta de antidotaris nicholai
  • 8. Anothomia magistri Ricardi

Another hand has added a mark against the 'Cirurgia' lemma (?'4') and '113' against the 'Anothomia magistri Ricardi' (referring to its folio number).

Voigts records Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31 as a Marchall manuscript (no. 29 in her survey), but does not note the presence of this list of the contents of this volume by his hand on f. iii verso.

L.E. Voigts, 'A Doctor and His Books: The Manuscripts of Roger Marchall (d. 1477)', in New Science out of Old Books: Studies in Manuscripts and Early Printed Books in Honour of A.I. Doyle, ed. by R. Beadle and A.J. Piper (Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1995), pp. 249–314, no. 29, and see also Appendix I.C.d

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment endleaves recycled from another volume
Extent: Codex: 3 leaves. 200 × 145 mm.

Collation

Three parchment endleaves (ff. i-iii).

No leaf signatures particular to this Part.

No quire signatures particular to this Part. No catchwords particular to this Part.

Condition

In fair condition. Some staining and wear to leaves, but text is generally legible. Folio iii has been cut in half across the centre horizontal, and the lower half of the leaf is missing.

Layout

All leaves in this Part have an informal mise-en-page.

Decoration

No significant decoration in this Part.

Additions

Folio ii recto bears two former shelfmarks in ink, 'C. 48', and '179'. There is also a faint '177' in ink, and the current shelfmark 'O.8.31' in ink on the same leaf. All of these numbers are written the right way around with reference to the current orientation of the leaf and in contrast to the notes written elsewhere on the leaf.

Folio iii recto bears a Trinity College bookplate fixed to the leaf with an adhesive.

Binding

Folio i was probably a pastedown in a former binding as it has adhesive residue and staining on its recto that suggests it was once fixed to a binding board.

History

Origin: 15th century (before 1477). ; England.

Date and place of production based on palaeographical features and former ownership and use by Roger Marchall (d. 1477).

Provenance

Folios i-iii and iv-v written on, and probably added to the volume, by Roger Marchall (c. 1417-1477) . Marchall added a table of contents to f. iii verso, and also a table of contents for another identified manuscript to f. ii recto.

Part 2: Medical Texts (M.R. James Part I) [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31, ff. 1-112]

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. 1r-63v
Chirurgia Henri de Mondeville
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: 1r Hic incipit prohemium particulare ad secundum tractatum cirurgie magistri henrici de amonda uilla illustrissimi domini regis francorum cirurgia
Incipit: 1r Postquam completus est primus tractatus huius cirurgie qui fuit de anathomia breuiata quantum speciat ad cirurgicum
Explicit: 63v quidam empirica in casibus desperatis similiter propriis, in quibus deficiunt omnia remedia medicorum incredibilia operantur

A note in the upper margin of f. 1r, 'Henricus de Amonda uilla', by the scribe of the main text.

Mentioned in Marchall's list of the contents on f. iii verso as '1. Cirurgia Magistri Henrici de amanda villa'.

Marginal annotations, typically glossing the subject of the leaf and sometimes providing further commentary throughout the text by the scribe of the main text.

Ends abruptly. Folio 64rv blank.

eTK 1068J
Edited (not from this MS) in J.L. Pagel, Die Chirurgie des Heinrich von Mondeville (Berlin: August Hirschwald, 1892)
2. 65r-106r
Antidotarium Henri de Mondeville
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: 65r Hic incipit antidotarius henrici de Armonda villa
Incipit: 65r Ad experienciam pleniorem dicendorum in isto quinto tractatu qui antidotarius appellatur sunt hic .10. introductoria preuidenda
Explicit: 106r De sinonimis ignotarum ac obscurarum medina medicinarum huius antidotarij sufficiunt hec nunc dicta
Final rubric: 106r Explicit Antidotarium secundum henricum de armanda uilla

The Antidotarium was written as Book 5 of the Chirurgia but was often treated as a separate text by medieval scribes.

Marginal annotations, typically glossing the subject of the leaf and sometimes providing further commentary throughout the text by the scribe of the main text.

eTK 0037J (t0007420000)
Edited (not from this MS) in J.L. Pagel, Die Chirurgie des Heinrich von Mondeville (Berlin: August Hirschwald, 1892)
3. 106r-108r
Medical recipes, including excerpts from the Chirurgia of Roger of Salerno and Roland of Salerno
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 106r Confectio nostri ruptorij que sic fit . Recipe cineres de sarmentorum et cineres stipitum fabarum ana libri iiij et in fundantur in aquam calidissimam
Explicit: 108r inflaciorum tere caules virides et cathaplasma vel ex apozumate fit ||

In the same hand as the works of Henri de Mondeville on ff. 1r-106v.

Text ends abruptly.

Headwords in the outer margins describe preparations to treat 'Ruptorium cirurgicorum', how to treat 'carbunculum', how to treat 'apostemata', how to make an 'emplastrum philosoforum', how to make an 'emplastrum album', how to treat 'fistula in ano', how to treat 'squinancia', and how to treat pain in the 'mamillis'.

The 'fistula in ano' section begins at the top of f. 107r: 'De fistula in ano . Iuxta fundamentum quandoque nascitur fistula vel apostema', and despite the similarity of the heading in the manuscript to the famous work by John of Arderne, this treatment appears to derive from the Chirurgia of Roger of Salerno compiled by Roland of Salerno. The Chirurgia of Roger and Roland was edited by de Renzi et al., Collectio Salernitana, II:426-496 and the 'fistula in ano' treatment in MS O.8.31 on f. 107r is a close match for the Chirurgia, III:48, printed by de Renzi et al., Collectio Salernitana II:485-486.

S. De Renzi, C.V. Daremberg, and G.E.T. Henschel (eds.), Collectio Salernitana Ossia Documenti Inediti, e Trattati Di Medicina Appartenenti Alla Scuola Medica Salernitana, 5 vols (Naples: Tipografia del Filiatre-Sebezio, 1852) II:485-486
4. 108v-112v
Blank leaves

Partially erased ownership inscription and price on f. 112v (see Provenance).

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: 2r: parte sua uel de continguentibus
Form: codex
Support: Paper folded in quarto. Watermark: Identical partial watermarks visible on ff 110 and 111: Crescent and cross in the centre of the folios. Measurements not provided due to tightness of the binding.
Extent: Codex: 112 leaves. 210 × 145 mm.

Collation

  • Quires 1-148 (ff. 1-112)

Medieval alphanumeric signatures in ink in the lower outer corner of most rectos in the first half of each quire - many signatures damaged by trimming and some lost entirely to trimming. The signatures are in the form of a minuscule letter in combination with a Roman numeral, e.g., ai-aiiii, bi-biiii etc. The designations are as follows:

  • Quire 2 = 'b'
  • Quire 3 = 'c'
  • Quire 4 = 'd'
  • Quire 5 = 'e'
  • Quire 6 = 'f'
  • Quire 7 = 'g'
  • Quire 8 = 'h'
  • Quire 9 = unclear, perhaps 'b'
  • Quire 10 = unclear, perhaps 'b' or 'h'; in red on first leaf
  • Quire 11 = unclear, perhaps 'c' or an 'r'
  • Quires 12 and 13 = no visible designations
  • Quire 14 = 'f'

No quire signatures particular to this Part.

Catchwords in the lower margin of the last verso of most quires.

Condition

In good condition. Some minor staining and tearing of leaves. Some leaf signatures lost to trimming.

Layout

160-165 × 100-105 mm. Ruled in leadpoint, frame only. Written in single-column format, typically 42 lines to the page and written below top line.

Hand(s)

Folios 1r-108v written in anglicana by a single scribe. Double-compartment a, loops on b h, k, l, 6-shaped s at the end of a word.

Decoration

Minor initials in the 'Lombardic' style in red at the major and minor divisions of the texts.

Rubrication in red, typically by underlining headings written in dark ink. Paraph marks in red throughout to mark minor syntax and section divisions.

Additions

Possible former shelfmark in ink in an early modern hand in the upper margin of f. 1r, 'Med:3.17'.

History

Origin: 15th century (before 1477). ; Probably England.

Date and place of production based on palaeographical features and former ownership and use by Roger Marchall (d. 1477).

Provenance

'Iste liber constat (?)Joh⟨annes⟩ M...(?) medicine lond': partially erased ownership inscription by a 15th-century hand. The name is uncertain, since the ascenders and descenders do not quite correspond with their placement for the name 'Iohannes'. but evidently this person was a medical practitioner in London. M.R. James suggested that the erased surname may have been 'Somerset', presumably thinking of John Somerset (d. 1454), physician and first supervisor of practitioners of surgery and medicine in London, however the littera notabilior at the beginning of the surname appears to be 'M'.

Part 3: Texts on anatomy and medical signs (M.R. James Part II) [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31, ff. 113-126]

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. 113r-118v
Text on anatomy
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 113r Quoniam membrorum humani corporis posiciones omnio ignote erant
Explicit: 118rv ligant iuxta uentrem in quantitate iiij digitorum ex cuius ligatura fiunt flegmones vmbilici
Final rubric: 118v Et hec de Anathomia sufficiant

Title added by Roger Marchall in the upper margin of f. 113r, 'Anothomia Ricardi'.

Mentioned in the pre-1477 list of the contents on f. iii verso as '8. Anothomia Magistri Ricardi' added to the volume by Roger Marchall.

This text is sometimes known as the 'Anatomia parua' or the 'Anatomia porci', and is variously ascribed to Galen, pseudo-Galen, and Richard the Englishman among others.

eTK 1285G
2. 118v
Notes on the development of a foetus
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 118v In homine sunt corpus et anima compositum : primum exit inesse per generacionem cuius perfecto anima . Secundum per creacionem cuius perfectio sciencia
Explicit: 118v quibus que venis

Concludes with an extract from a longer medical poem associated with the medical school of Salerno found in whole and in part in several other manuscripts:| 'Ossibus ex denis bis centenis que nouenis : Constat homo denis bis dentibus et duodenis Et tecentenis decies sex quibus que venis'.

The poetic lines 'Ossibus ex denis ... quibus que venis' are copied as prose. Also found in Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1432, ff. VI: 39r

3. 118v
Medical verse on the physiology of emotions
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 118v Item secundum danius intellectus est in fronte Memoria in cerebro Ira in felle Auaria in epate : Timor in corde Anelitus in pulmone : Leticia in splene Cupido in iecore Sanguis in corpore : Anima in sanguine Spiritus in anima Mens in spiritum In mente fides In fides christis

Full transcription. Copied as prose.

Discussed in Robin Flower and Torna Ó Maoilchonaire 'Popular Science in Mediaeval Ireland', Ériu, 9 (1921/1923), pp. 61-67 (MS not mentioned)
4. 118v-119r
Excerpt from a text on the brain, vision, and imagination
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: 118v Distinctio capitis humani
Incipit: 118v Notandum quod sensus communis in anteriore parte capitis habet duas cellulas
Explicit: 119r ut si omnis uideret lupum quem nuncquam antea vidit statim fugiet aut pre ||

Text ends imperfectly.

5. 119v
Notes on anatomy
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: || 119v timore diuerteret ad gregem per positam estimatiuam
Explicit: 119v capitis proculdubio beni est ingenij

Text begins imperfectly.

6. 119v-120r
Excerpts from Etymologiae Book IV.7 (De chronicis morbis) Isidore of Seville
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: || 119v Quotienscumque est infusio capitis in ossa uenerit narium et prouocacionem faucium a frigido humore Graeci enim guttur braucos uocant circa quod fauces quam nos corrupte brancias dicimus
Explicit: 120r Catexia nomen sumpsit a corporis inuiria uel ambitu fit autem ex passio in temperancia egrotantis uel curacione mali medicantis aut post egritudinem tarda ||

The opening is a combination of Etymologiae IV.7.12-13, and the excerpts continue to IV.7.26.

Text ends abruptly.

7. 120r-126v
Etymologiae [excerpts] Isidore of Seville
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 120r Morbi generales uocabulo omnes passiones corporis continentur quod inde ueteres morbum nominatur demonstrarent Sanitas autem est integritas corporis et temperancia naturae ex calido et humido quod est sanguis . Unde et sanitas dicta est quasi sanguinis status Intus[sic] sanitatem uero et morbum media est curacio quae nisi morbo congruat ; non perducit sanitatem
Explicit: 126v Creticos dies medici uocant quibus credo ex iudicio infirmitatis hoc nomen impositum quod quasi iudicem hominem et sentencia sua aut puniat aut liberet

The first section is Etymologiae IV.5.1-2, and then the excerpts proceed in haphazard fashion through several sections of Etymologiae IV, including IV.1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9.

Text ends imperfectly.

Mentioned in the list of the contents on f. i verso as 'Morbus et sanitas quid: et medicina quid'.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: 114r: nigra dicitur cornea
Form: codex
Support: Paper folded in quarto. Watermark: Partial watermark visible on f. 118 and 121, perhaps a bull's head, but further identification not possible due to the condition of the volume.
Extent: Codex: 14 leaves. 215 × 140 mm.

Collation

  • Quire 158 (ff. 113-120)
  • Quire 166 (ff. 121-126)

No leaf signatures particular to this Part.

No quire signatures particular to this Part.

No catchwords particular to this Part.

Condition

In good condition.

Layout

145 × 90 mm. Ruled in ink, frame only. Ruled in single-column format, typically 37 lines to the page and written below top line.

Hand(s)

Folios 113r-126v written by a single scribe writing a cursiva script with secretary features. Single-compartment a. No loops on ascenders of b, d, h, k, l. Descenders of f and s drop below the baseline. Horned g. Long s in all positions other than terminal. Letter y has two backward-c shaped curves for the bowl and a diagonal descender with a tail curling to the right.

Decoration

Unfilled spaces for minor initials throughout ff. 113r-126v.

History

Origin: 15th century (before 1477). ; Probably England.

Date and place of production based on palaeographical features and former ownership and use by Roger Marchall (d. 1477).

Part 4 (M.R. James Part III) [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31, ff. 127-162]

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. 127r-132r
Liber aggregationum Serapion the Younger
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: 127r Liber serapionis aggregatus in medicinis Translacio Simonis Januensis in ⟨terperete⟩ Habraham Judeo tortuosiensi de arabico in latinum
Incipit: 127r Postquam vidi librum
Explicit: 132r temperatis equalibus

Text for subsequent rubrication written in the margins.

2. 132v-133v
Reductio sciencie astronomie ad medicinalem facultatem
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 132v Quoniam secundum sapientes
Explicit: 133v accidit in tempore confectionis medicinis ||

Title 'Reductio sciencie astronomie ad medicinalem facultatem' added in the upper margin of f. 132v by Roger Marchall.

Also in Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Digby 29 , ff. 179r-181r.

A note in the upper margin of f. 162a recto seems to indicate that a late medieval reader thought that the text on ff. 162a recto-165v was a continuation of this text, but the text on ff. 162a recto-165v is in the hand of another scribe and does not appear to be a direct continuation of this text.

eTK 1301I (t0249870000)
3. 134r-159v
Cirurgia
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 134r In primo Cirurgia est considerare et inquirere
Explicit: 159v videlicet vulneribus profundis siue tenta(?) ||

Title 'Cirurgia' added in the upper margin of f. 134r by Roger Marchall.

Table in four columns of the virtues of various plants organised into categories added to f. 150v.

eTK 0708K (t0136890000)
4. 159v
Recipe to make metheglyn
Language(s): Middle English
Rubric: 159v ffor to make metheglyn
Incipit: 159v Take þese herbys Sawg . Egrimonie . Dauke . myntes . Origanum . Piliole rial . Beteyne . Malwe of euery of þese iiij handful . ysope . saþereie Cost . Persle . Englische galingale . Rose Marine Tyme . hertes tonge of euery of þese ij hanful . ffenel spegrauel(?) cerefoyle Saxefrage . leuy of lorere(?) . Sowtheryn Wode . Madynshere of euery of þese j handful . Pollipodie rote . þe rote of enula campana . Radiche roote . Tormentille . pigle . Endyue . Violet of euery of þese iij handful . Solsecle loueage . Wyldsawge . Mugwort Wodebynde . worwod . leuys of þe wyld brere herbe Iohannum Centore of euery of þese j handful . Roote of made and of Auence viij handful . Take al þese herbis and put to a C galowns of water and let hem seþe to þe þridde partie after þis put to v galowns of water and a Galown of hony . ȝif þyn hony is good and clene þan do it ouer þe fyr and lat it seþe wel and skeme it clene and whan it is wel j soden let it kele and clense it and do it in a uessel and close it þerinne a monþe or more

Full transcription.

Partially transcribed in IMEP 11: O.8.31 [1], p. 133
5. 159v
Recipe to make metheglyn
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: 159v Spens ad idem
Incipit: 159v Recipe piperis granorum paradisi zinziberis cinamoni electi bactarum laur(?) ana libra j galangis garofis macis cubebe nucis musce ligni(?) aloes calami aromatice storacis calami ana quarte j sardanio(?) quarte . secundum spice nardi ℥ j

Full transcription.

6. 160r
Medical recipe for a poultice or plaster
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: 160r Emplastrum gratia dei minor
7. 160r
Notes and verses on the four temperaments, the four elements and blood types
Language(s): Latin

Two sets of notes and verses on the humoral qualities of the temperaments, the elements, and blood.

Mentioned in the list of the contents on f. i verso as 'Complexionum signa'.

Folios 160v-162v blank.

WIC 10131 (for the verses)

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: 128r: petrificans aut aperiens
Form: codex
Support: Paper folded in quarto. No watermarks visible.
Extent: Codex: 36 leaves. 215 × 145 mm.

Collation

  • Quires 17-208 (ff. 127-158)
  • Quire 214 (ff. 159-162)

Leaf signatures in Roman numerals in ink in the lower margin of the rectos in the first half of each quire, e.g., i-iiij.

No quire signatures particular to this Part.

Catchwords in the lower margins of most leaves in this part starting at 134v.

Condition

In fair condition, some text difficult to read due to liquid damage to leaves.

Layout

150-155 × 105 mm. Ruled in ink, frame only. Ruled in single-column format, typically 31 lines to the page and written below top line.

Hand(s)

Written by a single scribe writing an anglicana script. Double-compartment a. Letters f, and s below the baseline. Dotted y.

Decoration

Text on ff. 127r-132r decorated with plain red initials at the major and minor divisions of the text.

Text on ff. 127r-132r rubricated at the major and minor divisions of the text.

History

Origin: 15th century (before 1477). ; England.

Date and place of production based on palaeographical features and former ownership and use by Roger Marchall (d. 1477).

Part 5 (M.R. James Part IV) [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31, ff. 162a, 163-175]

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. 162a recto - 165v
Text on astronomy and medicine with mnemonic verses on astronomy and astrology
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: || 162a recto Utatur utique(?) rebus temperantis que eum temperent Quando(?) autem luna ad oppositionem cancri ?(?) euader et si inuenerit marcis vt solem conuertitur informitas in febres calidas pulsus non inuenit semper nullo modo est igitur minutio necessaria uel durabit et(?) infinitas
Explicit: 165v et paucos dentes habebit et confectos et multa habebit ad omnes et uendendum etc
163v
Mnemonic verses on astronomy and astrology
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 163v Sed leo sunt stabiles et taurus scorpia limpha| Virgo sagit piscis bipartita geminique

A number of mnemonic verses on astronomy and astrology on f. 163v, the final lines now mostly illegible due to liquid damage to the leaf.

Note in the upper margin of f. 162a recto in ink in a late-medieval hand: 'require princi⟨pium⟩ istius tractatus in precedentibus ad signum talem X - vid 135'. This appears to refer to the text on ff. 132v-133v (not f. 135) as their subject matters are somewhat similar, but the text on ff. 162a recto-165v does not seem to be a direct continuation of the text on ff. 132v-133v and is in a different hand.

Contains a table of lunar calculations on f. 164r.

Some text partly illegible due to liquid damage to leaves.

2. 165v-168r
O medice accedens
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 165v O medice accedens patientem quem nunquam vidisti
Explicit: 168r ysopus porculata lactuca lilium ...(?)

Some text partly illegible due to liquid damage to leaves.

eTK 0971E (t0186400000)
3. 168r-170r
Practicella ex dictis Mesue abbreviata Johannes de Parma
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 168r [Q]uoniam quidam de melioribus amicis quos habere videar[sic] me rogaverunt vt eis inscriptis redigerem breviter medicinas digestiuas et evacuativas simplices et componitas
Explicit: 170r renes et uesicam ||
Final rubric: 170r Explicit

Some text partly illegible due to liquid damage to leaves.

eTK 1295J
4. 170v-171r
Treatise on the planets
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 170v [C]um luna comburitur vide si prospicit
Final rubric: 171r Explict quod ...(?) be ...(?) ha u(?) n(?) kyn g(?) s(?)

A title 'Tractatus de planetis' added in ink in the upper margin of f. 170v in a 16th-century hand.

Final lines partly illegible due to liquid damage.

eTK 0314J (t0061540000)
5. 171v-172v
Tabula de modo graduandi seu calculandi medicinas Arnaldus de Villanova
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: 171v Tabula magistri arnaldi de villa noua
Incipit: 171v Notandum quod in omni medicamine vel cura siue fiat per alteratiua siue per evacuatiua accendenda sunt
Explicit: 171v succedat(?) adde proportionaliter(?)

Tables on ff. 171v-172v.

Mentioned in Marchall's list of the contents on f. iii verso as '5. Tabule Magistri Arnoldi de Villa noua'.

eTK 0951F
6. 173r-175r
De urina non uisa William of Marseille
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: 173r Incipit liber vrinarum magistri gvilelmi astronomici anglici ciuis marsiliensis medicine professoris
Incipit: 173r [N]e ignorancie vel pocius inuidie redarguar mi germane qui quondam apud marsiliam aliquandum(?) mecum studuisti
Explicit: 175r uel planeta qui in loco epatis fuerit et cum loci natura colorum et substanciam sufficit demonstrare etc ||

Prayer in ink in the upper margin of f. 173r, 'Assit principio sancta maria meo'.

Text ends at the end of Chapter 7 (of 9).

Mentioned in the list of the contents on f. i verso as 'Vrina non visa'.

Mentioned in Marchall's list of the contents on f. iii verso as '6. Tractatus Magistri Willelmi de Vrina non visa'.

eTK 0388B
Edited (and this MS discussed as Ca2) with French translation in L. Moulinier-Brogi, Guillaume l'Anglais, Le Frondeur de l'uroscopie Médiévale (XIIIe Siècle): Édition Commentée et Traduction Du De Urina Non Visa, Hautes Etudes Médiévales et Modernes, 101 (Geneva, 2011)
7. 175v
Notes on the virtues of plants and minerals
Language(s): Latin
Incipit: 175v Solsequium habet virtutem contra aduersarium
Explicit: 175v Saphiries facit homines castum + pro⟨h⟩ibet pertum ideo nontangat mulier⟨es⟩

Erased line of text at the top of f. 175v.

Mentioned in the list of the contents on f. i verso as 'Solsequij virtus'.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: 163r: inuenerit fortunam non durabit amplius infirmitas
Form: codex
Support: Paper folded in quarto. No watermarks visible.
Extent: Codex: 14 leaves. 215 × 145S mm.

Collation

  • Quire 228 (ff. 162a-169)
  • Quire 236 (ff. 170-175)

No leaf signatures particular to this Part.

No quire signatures particular to this Part.

No catchwords particular to this Part.

Condition

In poor, but stable condition. Significant liquid damage to the lower thirds of the leaves in this Part meaning that some text is now partly or totally illegible. Some marginal annotations lost to trimming, see e.g. f. 169r.

Layout

185 × 105-110 mm. Ruled in ink, frame only. Ruled in single-column format, typically 52 lines to the leaf and written below top line.

Hand(s)

Written in a rapid script with some anglicana and some secretary features. Single-compartment a, closed loops on ascenders of b, d and a mixture of open and closed loops on ascenders on h and l probably due to the relative informality of the scribal stint. The letters r and long-s drop slightly below the baseline. The letter s is typically 6-shaped at the beginning and end of words, and long in medial positions.

Title in the upper margin of f. 171v, some mid-text headings on ff. 171v-172v and the explicit on f. 172v written in a northern textualis formata. The same scribe is possibly responsible for the explicit at the bottom of f. 171r, (now partly illegible due to liquid damage).

Decoration

Unfilled spaces left for minor initials throughout this part, some guide letters visible, e.g., f. 165, space for 'O' in 'O medice' and small guide letter 'o' in the unfilled space.

One slightly enlarged plain initial in the main ink on f. 162a, 'U' in 'Utatur.

History

Origin: 15th century (before 1477). ; England.

Date and place of production based on palaeographical features and former ownership and use by Roger Marchall (d. 1477).

Part 6: medical texts (M.R. James Part V) [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31, ff. 176-196]

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. 176r-196r
Medical recipes
Language(s): Latin

As M.R. James noted in his Catalogue, this is probably the text referred to as the 'Quedam excerpta de antidotaris nicholai' in the list of the contents of the volume by Roger Marchall on f. iii verso: although many of the plant names also occur in the Antidotarium Nicholai and share a similar prose structure, the pharmaceutical preparations on ff. 176r-196r do not appear to derive directly from that text, and more research is required to determine their origin.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: 177r: diaggci
Form: codex
Support: Paper folded in quarto.
Extent: Codex: 21 leaves. 215 × 145 mm.

Collation

  • Quire 2412 (ff. 176-187)
  • Quire 2510-1 (ff. 188-196: 10th leaf cancelled)

No leaf signatures particular to this Part.

No quire signatures particular to this Part.

No catchwords particular to this Part.

Condition

In good condition.

Layout

160 × 110 mm. Ruled in ink, frame only. Ruled in single-column format, typically 34 lines to the page and written below top line.

Hand(s)

Written in an unusual cursive minuscule. Double-compartment a, loops on ascenders of b, d, h, l. The letter p resembles the letter þ but does not appear to be deliberately modelled after or confused with that glyph. The letter s is typically long, but is sometimes round in a terminal position. The letter y is dotted.

Decoration

Headings for each minor division of the text (in this case plant names) written in brown text-ink and then underlined and enclosed by a paraph mark in red.

Spaces left for minor initials at the start of most lemma, see e.g., 'ariofilatum' on f. 176v under the head word 'gariofilatum'.

Additions

Badly rubbed fragment of a ?medical recipe on f. 196v.

History

Origin: 15th century (before 1477). ; England.

Date and place of production based on palaeographical features and former ownership and use by Roger Marchall (d. 1477).

Part 1b: parchment flyleaves [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31, ff. iv-v]

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. iv recto
Notes towards a list of contents of a medieval book
Language(s): Latin

Badly damaged partial list of the contents of a medieval volume on f. iv recto as follows:|

  • lapidarium
  • ars notoria
  • ? liber fa...(?)

This list does not appear to refer to any items in Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.8.31.

2. iv verso
Fragment of a medical recipe 'contra dolorem'
Language(s): Latin

The medical recipe is badly damaged by abrasion to the leaf, but begins 'Nota contra dolorem'.

3. v recto
Medical recipe
Language(s): Macaronic text in Latin and Middle English

The medical recipe on f. v recto is damaged due to abrasion to the leaf but begins 'Pro dolore tenum' and calls for 'aqua vite' 'jusse of vine leuys' and oille olyfe' among other ingredients.

4. v verso
Notes towards a list of the contents of a medieval book
Language(s): Latin

Fragment of the list is badly damaged, but one line is visible: ‘ ⟨H⟩enricus de ⟨A⟩monda Villa’, perhaps indicative of attempts at a list of the contents of this volume.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment.
Extent: Codex: 2 leaves. 200 × 145 mm.

Collation

Two medieval parchment endleaves (ff. iv-v).

No leaf signatures particular to this Part.

No quire signatures particular to this Part.

No catchwords particular to this Part.

Condition

In poor, but stable condition. Leaves were probably once pastedowns and endleaves in a former binding and have significant wear and abrasions.

Layout

All leaves in this Part have an informal mis-en-page.

History

Origin: 15th century (before 1477). ; England.

Date and place of production based on palaeographical features and former ownership and use by Roger Marchall (d. 1477).

Provenance

Folios i-iii and iv-v written on, and probably added to the volume, by Roger Marchall (c. 1417-1477) . Marchall added a table of contents to f. iii verso, and also a table of contents for another identified manuscript to f. ii recto.

Additional Information

Record Sources

This catalogue record draws on M.R. James, The Western Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge: A Descriptive Catalogue, 4 vols (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1902), III.1406 (O.8.31).

Availability

Visitors to Trinity College who wish to consult Special Collections material are required to apply to the Library in advance of their visit. For information on eligibility and admission procedures see: Trinity College: Information for Readers.

Bibliography

    The Western Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge: A Descriptive Catalogue, James, M.R. (Cambridge, 3, Cambridge University Press, 1902) A doctor and his books: the manuscripts of Roger Marchall (d. 1477) New science out of old books: studies in manuscripts and early printed books in honour of A.I. Doyle, Voigts, Linda Ehrsam (Aldershot, 249-314, Scolar Press, 1995) A handlist of the Latin writers of Great Britain and Ireland before 1540 Publications of the Journal of Medieval Latin, (Turnhout, Brepols, 1997) Guillaume l'Anglais, le frondeur de l'uroscopie médiévale (XIIIe siècle): Édition commentée et traduction du De urina non visa Hautes Etudes Médiévales et Modernes, Moulinier-Brogi, Laurence (Geneva, 2011)

Funding of Cataloguing

Wellcome (cataloguing). All images provided by Trinity College, Cambridge.

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Cambridge Digital Library

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