The James Catalogue of Western Manuscripts

Shelfmark O.1.57
Manuscript Title

Mathematica, Medica, etc

Alternative Title

Mathematica, Medica, etc

James Number 1081
Century 15th
Physical Description

Varying numbers of lines to a page: in several hands.

Provenance

Part of the Gale collection, given to T.C.C. by Roger Gale in 1738. C. I. No. 132. The book was partly written by, and belonged to, one of the family of Holdenby, or Haldenby (of Isham in Northamptonshire).A leaf at the end of the MS. (numbered 129) contains genealogical entries relating to this and other families, and there are several obits of them in the Kalendar at the beginning. The entries were communicated by Mr W. Aldis Wright to Miscellanea Genealogica Heraldica in which they were printed on pp.246-47.

Donor Gale, Roger (1672-1744), Antiquary
Size (cm) 19 x 15
Folio 101 ff.
Material Parchment
Language Latin
Collation

a4 | 110 210 312 | 412 58 612-812 98 (2 canc.).

IIIF Manifest URL https://mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/O.1.57/manifest.json
Online Since 10/06/2014

Contents

The first leaf of the preliminary quire a is blank. On ff.2b, 3a, are two painstaking pen and ink drawings -not very good. The first represents a stag couching (or running: it is not easy to say which) by a tree, in which are a squirrel and an owl. A bird with a blank label in its beak, and a hare, are also present.
The second shews a stag gorged with a coronet, and chain attached thereto, running past a tree : a hound is about to pull it down. In air is a hawk and a lure, a squirrel on a tree and a rabbit in its hole.
On f.3b are Easter Tables 1571-1617.
On f.4a. English verses
In marche aftur the firste C
The next prime telle thov me
Tho thryd sonedaye aftur I wys
Estur day for sothe hyt is
and if prime on the soneday falle
loke thow covnte hym firste of alle.
Two notes. Death of John Mortemer 1453, 10 Aug. and of John Mortemer his son on Aug. 14, 1453.
Memoracio de contentis in hoc libro.
f.1 Nouum Calendare cum eclipsibus solis et lune
This Kalendar, which is badly written, contains notes of a "ventus validus" in nocte S. Agnetis a.d. 1438.
Obits of Will. Haldenby 1420, John Haldenby, etc. Birth of Robert son of Will. H(aldenby) of Isham 1433.
The Eclipses follow the Kalendar on f.7.
f.8b Tables of Sunday letters etc.
Table shewing influences of Planets and Signs of Zodiac on man's body.
With a rough coloured drawing of a nude man, and the signs of the zodiac disposed at different parts of his body.
f.11 Tabula ad cognoscendum quota sit hora per longitudinem umbre
f.15b Tractatus de fleubetomacione
Minucio aliqua fit per methathesim
-poni debent.
f.16b Diagram of a man's body shewing the principal veins
f.17 Tract. de coloribus
Vernisia fit mediante olio.
Ends on f.19, with a section on Viscus optimus.
f.19b A problem headed Ar(istotele)m
Ego pono istum casum quod hic sunt tria animalia scilicet asinus et capra.
Verses on the seven arts
English receipts (1) for the scabbe etc., (2) for the blac janues (jaundice).
English receipts of cent. xvi.
f.21 Compotus manualis
Filius esto dei celum bonus accipe grates etc. These are memorial verses. The explanation follows.
Ends, perhaps unfinished, on f.31b. f.32 is blank.
ff.33-68 have been removed. They seem to have contained
f.33 Tractatus algorismi
f.55 Spera pictagore
f.57 Tract. de cautelis algorismi
On f.69 begins another tract on Corium serpentinum.
Ego Iohannes paulus cum essem in ciuitate Alexandrina egipciorum rapui quendam librum qui sacilius appellabatur in quo ista experimenta de serpentine corio discribebantur.
It consists of several receipts -the last for curing leprosy.
f.70 Alfraganus de signis tonitruum
f.70b Betonica sic legitur
Betonica animas custodit et corpora
-Hec sunt virtutes Betonice.
A tract on other herbs and animals, without special heading
The first section begins
Est quedam herba que aput caldios vocatur yreos, aput grecos mamichiel, aput latinos elitropia.
The sections about herbs all begin similarly: at the end are a few about birds and beasts, the last is on the lion.
Ending: terga dabunt.
Memorandum quod sunt multe hic que sunt vere et multe que sunt false.
f.76b Charms and Receipts for þ o felun (in Latin)
f.77 for bleding. Tres boni fratres etc.
þis is for a man þ t may not slepe.
f.77b To make asure
Here folowing bygynne medicines.
f.77b ful gode
Receipts in English follow.
The margins are covered with receipts of cent. xvi.
f.81 Tractatus per quem congnoscitur ad deducendam aquam diuersimode ab uno loco ad alium
Philosophi naturales dixerunt vas vacuum non esse.
It has rough diagrams of syphons etc.
On f.84b, without break, begins a tract "ad cognoscendam altitudinem rerum."
Homo iacens vultu erecto.
With diagrams.
f.90b Tract. de luna per 12 signa.
Cum lune cursum recte scire volueris.
f.95 Iam sequitur tractatus de philosophia secundum aristotelem cum causis et experimentis probantibus propositum. quod Haldenby. Amen
Natura occulte operatur in hiis etc.
Ends f.106: et ut vicia fugeremus.
Expl. lib. Arist. -propositum (as above).
I prey to God almyty fadur alweldyng sone and stedfast holy gost os þ o brake v lowes and v fyschys on schere thursday in myraclys to þy desiplys gaf gyf gra(n)te þys lot to turne aboute wt þ o gylty.
Below is a device in red and black like a monogram -not I think connected with the charm.
f.127 Miscellaneous receipts in Latin (xv)
The last paragraph on f.127b begins
id est to moke to ere to sowe to harow
Fimare · stercorare · arare · seminare · erpicare
to wede to there (sic) to schocke to cary to mowe
runcare · metere · congelimare · vectitare · artonisare
to þresche id est to wyndowe to grynde to syfte
flagellare uel triturare · venticare · molere · cribrare
to bulte to knede to sowre to shape þo gowe(?)
pollentrudiare · malaxare · fermentare · costare al'mum
to molde þ o bred to seth in to prycke to drawe owte
formare panem · infurnare · piusere · effurenare · non possumus uno die.
Hic sunt plura latina verba in ista latinitate contenta secundum magist. Johannem Leylond.
f.100 Phisionomia Aristotelis
Hanc igitur in nomine christi et in opere nostro primo disponemus.
Et per hec omnia supradicta potest homo habere certissimam (?) cognicionem hominis.
f.110b On Chiromancy
Cum omni humane creature sane disponente.
Ending f.118b
-Expl. libellus computus a magro Johanne.
Iste liber constat Haldynby.
A picture of a hand follows.
Hic inc. sompnia Daniel que fecit in diebus regis nabiclorum(!)
f.119 quando rogatus a principibus erat quod eis sompnia narraret et exponeret qui dicebat omnia facta a deo et non per seipsum sed a deo ista accepit et quicunque subscripta leget danielem auctorem inueniet
They are alphabetically arranged, and run from Aves to Zonam (f.124).
Hic explicit interpretacio sompniorum danielis.
f.124 Receipts (1) for writing with water on iron, (2) for writing in gold or silver
f.124b A continuation seemingly of the tract on Colours
Iam restat dicere de diuersis coloribus tarn scribendis quam pictandis.
-ibi corrodet literas bonas.
f.125 Lines in a later hand inked over?
Si mea penna valet melior mea litera fiet
Nomen scriptoris Willelmus plenus amoris.
Omnibus omnia non mea sompnia dicere possum.
Dum calor est et pulcra dies formica laborat.
Receipts of cent. xvi.
f.126a blank. On f.126b a charm to find a thief by means of a loaf of bread. The formula is in English
f.128 Hic d d est de ludis salamonis
de igne tonitruo volante super cordam. de igne volante in aiere ad modum draconis etc., a list of tricks ending
Vt domus in qua fueris videatur plena aque.
Text begins on f.128b. De igne tonitruo etc.
Ista debent fieri de vno puluere.
Only one paragraph remains.
f.129 has the genealogical notes on the Holdenbys, and others noticed above.
On ff.129b, 130 a are pictures of hands, and late scribbles.

Bibliography

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