Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.11.45
Medical treatises
Contents
Physical Description
15th-century foliation, with corrections and supplements made in the 20th century:
[a] + [i]-ii, 1-84, 89, 92, 97-116, 119-128 | 129-144 | 145-153 + [b]
35 omitted in 15th-century foliation and 40 repeated: errors corrected in 20th century. The image displayed at f. [i] shows a stub of paper that has been inserted as part of the conservation of the manuscript. Numbers i, 85-88, 90-91, 93-96 and 117-118 are missing from the modern foliation and have been assigned to leaves no longer present in the volume (as per historic foliation practice at Cambridge University Library). Folio ii consists of a torn leaf that has been repaired with modern blank paper: the original torn leaf has been separately foliated as 'iii' but this number has been ignored in this record.Collation
- Quire 112-1 (ff. ii-10: 1st leaf, before f. ii, not present)
- Quire 214 (ff. 11-24)
- Quires 3-712 (ff. 25-84)
- Quire 812-10 (ff. 89-92: 1st-4th leaves, before f. 89, and 6-7, after f. 89, and 9-12, after f. 92, missing)
- Quire 920 (ff. 97-116)
- Quire 1012-2 (ff. 119-128: 1st-2nd leaves, before f. 119, not present) |
- Quire 1116 (ff. 129-144) |
- Quire 1216-7 (ff. 145-153: 10th-16th leaves, after f. 153, missing)
112-1 (i not present) 214 3-712 812-10 (1-4, 6-7, 9 missing) 920 1012-2 (1, 2 not present) | 1116 | 1216-7 (10-16 missing)
Additions
Quire signatures ('1-12') in the bottom right-hand corner of the recto side of the first leaf of each quire, and '+' in the same position on the first leaf after the centre of the quire, written in pencil by a hand of the 19th/20th century.
Collation formula by the hand of H.L. Pink (rear pastedown). Notes on the loss of leaves at various points in the volume (ff. ii recto, 84v, 89v, 92v, 116v, 153v), also by H.L. Pink.
Binding
Quarter binding of brown leather with marbled paper sides; made by Douglas Cockerell and Son , Grantchester, August 1970, as recorded on the front pastedown by H.L. Pink.
A former spine label of red Russia leather with the gold-stamped inscription 'Miscelleanea Medica MS' has been pasted on the front pastedown.
Binding height: 225 mm; width: 145 mm; depth: 35 mm.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Sir Thomas Knyvett (1539-1618) : Knyvett's shelfmark is inscribed in the lower margin of f. 153v: 'Sed ― 53'. See McKitterick (1978), p. 163 (MS 53).
Thomas Knyvett (1596-1658) : grandson of Sir Thomas Knyvett 1539-1618, inherited this manuscript together with Knyvett's collection. See McKitterick (1978), pp. 33-34..
John Knyvett (1623-1673) : great-grandson of Sir Thomas Knyvett 1539-1618 and son of Thomas Knyvett (1596-1658), inherited this manuscript together with Knyvett's collection. See McKitterick (1978), p. 36 .
Thomas Knyvett (d. 1693) : great-great-grandson of Sir Thomas Knyvett 1539-1618 and son of John Knyvett (1623-1673), inherited this manuscript together with Knyvett's collection. Thomas died without heir and the Knyvett library was fragmented after his death: 57 of Knyvett's manuscripts had been acquired by John Moore [see below] by 1698. See McKitterick (1978), p. 37.
John Moore (1646-1714) , bishop of Ely: no. 195 (inscribed on f. 1r) in Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliæ et Hiberniæ (c. 1697).
Presented to the University Library in 1715 by George I : donation bookplate engraved by John Pine in 1736 on the front pastedown.
Part 1 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.11.45, ff. iir-iiv, 1r-128v]
Contents
Language(s): Latin and Middle English
'Contra [?]yorossidui'.
Ends with two prayers, beginning ‘Domine Jhesu qui es omnium vera salus’ and ‘Deus qui mirabiliter homines creasti’.
Full transcription.
Extracted from the so-called Trotula, an ensemble of three works, one of which is the Liber de Sinthomatibus Mulierum (Book on the Conditions of Women).
Imperfect due to loss of folios '85'-'88' and '90'-'91'.
These instructions were added in the late 16th or early 17th century; they are identical to those found in Henrici Cornelii Agrippae Ab Nettesheym Opera Duos Tomos Concinne Digesta Quibus Post Omnium Editiones Novo Accessit Ars Notoria (c. 1630), pp. 465, and 467.
Added in the late (?) 16th century.
Contains three Middle English recipes for tartary water, a man who has lost his nature and migraine.
Contains Middle English recipes for healing the eyes and strangury ('stranguriam', corr. for 'sturuguriam' in Connolly (2009), p. 67 [no. 6])
Two Latin recipes for curing a headache and blurry vision caused by reuma on f. 128r are attributed to a physician named Albon (‘Quod D. Albone’), perhaps Edmund Albon, 'doctor of physick', who was rector of the church of St John the Baptist, Garboldisham, Norfolk, in 1478 (see Francis Blomefield, 'Hundred of Giltcross: Snarehill-House', in An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk, Volume 1: Containing the Hundreds of Diss, Giltcross, Shropham, the Burgh of Thetford, Grimeshoe, Wayland, and Forehoe (London: Miller, 1805), p. 271.
The recipes are as follows:
- f. 126v: for migraine, an aposteme in the head, for dropsy and all manner of aches in the head; to make a precious water to clean sore and blind eyes; two against strangury (slow or painful emission of urine)
- f. 127r: two for deafness, blindness and other ailments of the head; two for failing eyesight; for strangury and kidney problems, colic and the stone; two for all ailments of the head
- f. 127v: for terror or nausea and lack of appetite; for blood in one's urine and pain in the back or abdomen; five further recipes for unstated purposes, but perhaps the same as the last item
- f. 128r: two for head pain and blindnessl a mundificative for the kidneys and bladder; a repercussive to put in one's eyes to remove matter; a recipe for 'dragetum'
- f. 128v: a conserve to purify the blood
Full transcription; added in the (?) 16th century by the same hand that copied the next item.
Full transcription, except for the last line which has not been read because the text has been crossed out; added in the (?) 16th century by the same hand that copied the previous item.
Copies of this charm in other manuscripts are intended for healing fevers.
Physical Description
Collation
- Quire 112-1 (ff. ii-10: 1st leaf, before f. ii, not present)
- Quire 214 (ff. 11-24)
- Quires 3-712 (ff. 25-84)
- Quire 812-10 (ff. 89-92: 1st-4th leaves, before f. 89, and 6-7, after f. 89, and 9-12, after f. 92, missing)
- Quire 920 (ff. 97-116)
- Quire 1012-2 (ff. 119-128: 1st-2nd leaves, before f. 119, not present)
Condition
Layout
165 × 115 mm. No ruling. Single columns, except for ff. 97r-116v which are written in double columns. 33-35 lines to the page.
Hand(s)
Written in a single hand writing in a cursive script with both Anglicana and Secretary features.
Decoration
Large (2-line) plain red initials.
Headers with titles at the top of the page rubricated in red ink.
Underlining in red ink.
Paraphs in red ink.
History
Part 2 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.11.45, ff. 129r-144v]
Contents
Language(s): Latin and Middle English with dialectal features that have been located to Lincolnshire (LALME I:66)
The collection includes nineteen Middle English recipes.
For dropsy, jaundice, all manner of fevers and wasting of the lungs. This recipe belongs to the collection of medical recipes in Latin and Middle English on ff. 140r-144v and is copied by the same hand.
At the beginning of the text is a colophon: 'Ad mea principia tibi dico salue maria quod Bokenham'.
The text ends with the following note: 'Nota a luna prima ad 14 videliect ad omnia experimenta si uolueris ad odium fac subh hora saturni uel martis si ad amorem pacem uel propter certam causam que me mouit carecteres planetarum et signorum scribere omisi quod Bokenham'.
The name ‘Willelmus’ is written on the top of f. 136r; Lidaka speculates that the scribe was William Bokenham, the author of two works on urine in London, Wellcome Library, MS 408 , where he is claimed to be a monk from Norwich Holy Trinity or St Giles with a degree in medicine from Bologna.
One recipe on f. 140v may be attributed to Bartholomaeus Anglicus (‘Ex libro Bartholomei’). It begins: 'Homo inter omnia animalia praecipue sompniat'
Copied by a single hand, except for two recipes (‘Contra Constipacionem et Collicam’ and ‘Contra Sciaticam’) on f. 144v that have been copied by a different hand.
Written vertically and running alongside the medical recipes in the preceding item; in the letter the sender seeks to arrange the return of an English copy of More Arthure (‘an inglische buke es cald mort arthur as ȝe may se wrytten of my hand in þe last end of þe buke’) from ‘Syr William Cuke preste of Byllesbe’ via ‘John Salus’ of ‘Lyn’ [identified by A.I. Doyle as John Salus [Saluz] who is who is identified in records as a burgess of Lynn c. 1426-45].
Full transcription; the text has been added in the (?) 16th century.
For other copies, see Harms (2019) [without this manuscript].
Physical Description
Collation
- Quire 1116 (ff. 129-144)
Condition
Layout
165-185 × 110-135 mm. Ruled in ink, frame only, on ff. 129r-139v. No ruling on ff. 140r-140v. 47 lines (165 x 110 mm) to the page, written below top line, on ff. 129r-139v; and 23-27 (165-185 x 135 mm) on ff. 140r-140v.
Hand(s)
The recipes on ff. 129r-133v are written by a single hand in a small Anglicana script.
The recipes on ff. 133v and 140r-144v are written by a single hand in a large Anglicana script. However, two recipes at the top of f. 144v seem to be written by another hand writing in a large script that has both Anglicana and Secretary features.
The fragmentary medical treatise on f. 134r is written by a single hand in a large Anglicana script.
The magical treatise on f. 135v-139v is written by a single hand in a script predominantly with Anglicana features.
The letter concerning the Mort D'Arthur that is written vertically on f. 142r is written by a single hand in a cursive script with Anglicana and Secretary features.
The added necromantic ritual in the lower margin of f. 144r is written by a hand writing in a small Secretary script.
Decoration
Magic squares, one with characters (so-called Zagam figure), and the others with numbers organised in grids on ff. 137v, 138r (2x), 138v (2x), 139r (2x), 139v.
The recipes on ff. 129r-133v feature one large (3 line) black initial 'A' outlined in red ink on f. 129r.
The magic treatise on ff. 135v-139v features small black initials (1 line) highlighted in red ink.
The recipes on ff. 133v and 140r-144v, feature small (1 line) initials in brown ink higlighted in red ink on with one on f. 141v featuring a human face in red ink.
Small capitals in brown ink highlighted in red ink in the fragmentary treatise on f. 134r.
Underlining in red ink in the recipes on ff. 129r-133v, the fragmentary treatise on f. 134r, and the magical treatise on ff. 135v-139v .
Paraphs in black ink higlighted in red ink on ff. 129r-133v.
History
Part 3 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.11.45, ff. 145r-153v]
Contents
Language(s): Latin, Middle English, and Middle French
Ending incompletely in the letter Q.
Physical Description
Collation
- Quire 1216-7 (ff. 145-153: 10th-16th leaves, after f. 153, missing)
Leaf signatures 'aiij' and 'aiiij' in the lower right-hand corners of f. v and 148r.
Condition
Layout
165 × 95 mm. Ruled in ink, frame only. Single columns. 32 lines to the page, written below top line.
Hand(s)
Written by a single hand in a cursive script predominantly with Anglicana features.
Decoration
One large (5-line) initial in red ink within a frame of brown ink on f. 145r.
Small capitals in red or brown ink throughout.
The text's first 7 lines are rubricated in red ink.
History
Additional Information
Record Sources
Availability
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Bibliography
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Funding of Cataloguing
Wellcome
Digital Images
Abbreviations
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