File:Leech-Books, VI (MS 409) page 109 Wellcome L0073616.jpg

Page 109 of the manuscript 'Leech-Books, VI', handwritten in Latin script, late 14th-early 15th century.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: 1 volume 146 ll. 4to. 20 x 14 cm. On paper and vellum. Original deer-skin binding, with a contemporary leather slip-on cover. Two modern leather and metal clasps.

REFERENCE: MS409

NOTE: Anglo saxon letter forms in Moorat's catalogue description (such as contraction marks and Thorn and yogh symbols) have been replaced with Latin characters.

SUMMARY: Middle-English leech-book, containing medical receipts, including some charms; a Latin-English Glossary of herbs; short tracts on urines, the cure of wounds, uses of herbs, etc. By several hands, with a few 17th cent. additions. A new foliation in pencil has been added, but there is an older (16th cent.) foliation in ink. The following leaves (new foliation) appear to be wanting: The first 6 ll.; between ff. 9 and 10, 1 leaf; between ff. 11 and 12, 2 leaves; between ff. 53 and 54, one leaf: between ff. 83 and 84, 4 leaves; between ff. 96 and 97, 108 and 109, one leaf; between ff. 114 and 115, 2 leaves; between ff. 145 and 145, 3 leaves. Many leaves are worn, with frayed margins. Initials, paragraph marks and headings in red. A number of entries-mainly charms-have been struck through or obliterated with ink. Ff. 1-7 Medical receipts by a late 14th cent. hand. 8-22 Medical receipts by an early 15th cent. hand, with some additions by an early 17th cent. owner. 23-49 Medical receipts by another early 15th cent. hand. 49-53v Glossary of herbs in Latin and English (incomplete). (Begins: Agnus castus anglice tote sayn. oder parkeleuys / ... Ends: Pes de ligno anglice portulakke. Fol. 54 Medical receipts in English. 55 De urinis. // In the bygynnyg thou schalte take hede to iiii thyngys / that longyth toe the dome of uryne ... 66 Ends: ... and of wykyd stomake and badde lyuyre / and badde longys. Ff. 66v-78 Medical receipts. 78-79 Regimen for diet, blood letting, etc. by the Months. Fol. 79v these buth the namys of droggys. (Incomplete.) Ff. 80-98 Medical receipts by various 15th and 16th cent. hands. Fol. 84 is wrongly bound and should follow fol. 87. 99-108 Medical receipts for the cure of wounds, fractures, etc. (Incomplete.) Fol. 109 Herbal. By a middle 15th cent. hand. Agnus castus ys an herbe that men clepyth Tutsayne / other parkeleuys ... 143v [Of the herb 'Lappa'] ... bote the leuys hereof be the / more scharpyr atto[p] then on ende. Ff. 144-145 Receipts by various hands. The Herbal on ff. 109-143 is recorded in Thorndike's 'Catalogue of Incipits', Col. 31. The receipt on ff. 86v, 87 and 84r is headed (fol. 86v) 'Unguentum domini Johannis Spencer', and is by an early 15th cent. hand.

Archives & Manuscripts
Keywords: Uroscopy; Recipes; Urinoscopy; Traditional medicine; Charms