Irish Script on Screen

MS 1319/2/8

MEDICAL

15th or 16th cent. Vellum. 23.5–26 × 19–20.5. Ff. 12, numbered in pencil 118–129 (with numbering repeated in pencil on ff. 118–122, 125–7) and bearing an earlier pagination 279–302 in ink. No scribal signature (unless name in scribal colophon on f. 129rbz be that of scribe himself).

Bound in modern vellum cover; number ‘H. 2. 17 II Vol. VIII 118–129 / 279–302’ stamped in black on front and back covers; number ‘1319/2/8’ in upper outer corner of front cover.

Collation: i⁶ (wants 2–5), ii⁸, iii² (?) with loss of text where defective. Double columns, with ruling, where visible, in brown, 49 lines (ff. 118–9), 31–2 lines (ff. 120–9). Remains of pricking for double columns with single inner and outer bounding lines visible in upper and lower margins of most leaves near or at leaf-edge; pricking for horizontal text-lines visible in outer and inner margins of all leaves (occasionally obscured by later tape-repairs, e.g. ff. 122r, 125v, inner margins). Ornamental initials throughout (e.g. ff. 118vb11, 125vb4), several with intricate interlace (e.g. ff. 119rbw, 123ra16, 30) or zoomorphic motifs (e.g. ff. 118rb23, 42, 124ra22), usually coloured in light red (e.g. f. 121rb16), occasionally combined with yellow (e.g. f. 120r8) or buff (e.g. f. 126rb13); colouring sometimes obscured by staining, especially on ff. 123va, 124va, 127va, 128–9; capital letters frequently coloured red (e.g. 122vb3, 5) or red and yellow (e.g. 120vb18); ‘ceann fo eite’ (sometimes hand-shaped, e.g. 118vb10) often coloured red (e.g. 121vb6, 122vb7, 123vb24) or red and yellow (e.g. 120ra7, 121vb13); line-fillers usually highlighted in red (e.g. ff. 119vb37, 120vb30), or red and yellow (f. 121ra20); box on f. 120va3, enclosing final word of previous line, coloured red, also expunction points at f. 122va12. Textual omission at f. 119rb1 supplied in f. 119rb, upper margin. Vellum defective, ff. 118, 125; small holes in ff. 128–9; slight tear in f. 129, and in upper and lower edges of ff. 118–9; minor damage to outer edges of ff. 120–2, 127; tears in outer edges of ff. 122, 128 repaired with tape; lower outer edge of f. 127 reinforced by tape pasted onto verso; upper and outer edges of f. 129 partially reinforced by tape pasted onto verso; extensive tape-repairs, with subsequent stitching over tape, to outer and inner spine, ff. 118–9; tape reinforcement to upper and lower ends of outer spine, ff. 120/127, 121/126, 122/125, and of inner spine, ff. 123–4. Staining throughout, especially of upper and lower margins and outer halves of leaves, heaviest on ff. 118r, 127v, and especially ff. 128–9; some text obscured by staining in ff. 118rb, 122va, 125rb, 126va, 127rb, 127va, with more extensive illegibility in ff. 128, 129r; f. 129v entirely illegible.

Notes and jottings. (a) f. 120v, lower margin. ‘Fagaim fein gutarna gearrain eir an ti dosgrib anbeab.’ (b) f. 121r, lower margin. ‘amen ola[? n][...].’ (c) f. 124r, lower margin. ‘A Dia ⁊ a Muire as tuirseach ataim pein anois ⁊ gac uair ele air bhioth agus mice G / ollann rias mac Domh[naill] meic Eoin Mhaoil mic.’ (d) f. 124v, lower margin. ‘Ase so lebar [? Emainn] (MS ‘ema’ with n-stroke above foll. by et-contraction) meic Furcaidh.’

1ra. [Matthaeus Platearius Circa Instans; contains also material from Macer's De viribus herbarum (see §§ 7–9 below).] Prologue beg. Circa presens negocium in simplicibus medicinis mundum uersatur pro[p]ossitum Ise ar nirtriall isan brollach so inerbalair labra dona leigheasaibh diuidi Simplex medicina est que talis natura procedit Is ris adearar in leigheas diuid .i. inleigheas nach athraigter acht amail toscaighes se oaicneadh. Prologue ends ⁊ cindas dleaghar athobairt amail ata isan erbarail nadeagaidh sisana (f. 118rb22). Prologue corresponds to Platearius, Liber de simplici medicina dictus Circa instans (Venice 1497) [henceforth CI] ff. 186ra3–52. Text beg. Ferrum ⁊ ferrugo ⁊ scama ferri eiusdem [uirtutis] sunt In tiarann ⁊ in slaigi ⁊ tuireann isinand brigh d[? o]ibh ⁊ isteasaide tirim inslaigi isin ceim tanaisti (f. 118rb23). Chasm in text after f. 118 which breaks off (in section beg. Malua .i. in leamach muighi, f. 118vbw) inmalua muinntearda immorra iseisein is fuaraidhi ⁊ isfliuchaidhi ann ⁊ iss. Resumes (f. 119ra1) (in section beg. Linga bouis .i. in todra, MS 1323, p. 91az) leann[a] urcoideacha gabait isnascamanaibh Sugh inlossa ceadna do cur arucht ellte ⁊ aol dolocht naloinidhin ⁊ ismirbuileach foires iat. Ends (in section beg. Iusquiamus .i. in gafand, f. 129ray) re loighi gorub slan ⁊ is dearbtha in leighes sin ‘Finit amen finit’ (f. 129rb29). Foll. by blank line-space and scribal colophon: ‘Et Magnus mac Gillacrist mac [...]’ (f. 129rbz). Text here comprises the foll. sections (references in square brackets are to corresponding chapter of CI; or, for sections based on Macer, to page, chapter and line nos of L.Choulant (ed.) Macer Floridus De viribus herbarum (Leipzig 1832) [henceforth Choulant]; note that while references cited here are to entire chs in the Latin sources, these chs are not always given in full in the Irish text; note also that in occasional instances (e.g. § 10 below) where Macer is the principal source, the plant's grade is supplied from CI): (1) ‘Ferrum’ (f. 118rb23–41) [= CI ‘De ferro’ (F 2), f. 198rb4–24]; (2) ‘Flamula’ (f. 118rb42–118va13) [= CI ‘De flammula’ (F 1), f. 198ra50–b3]; (3) ‘Cuscute’ (f. 118va14–26) [= CI ‘De cuscute’ (C 5), f. 192va8–18]; (4) ‘Rafanus’ (f. 118va27–b10) [= CI ‘De raphano’ (R 2) f. 207va39–z; (5) ‘Uiola’ (f. 118rb11) [= CI ‘De viola’ (V 1) f. 211ra60–b18; (6) ‘Malua’ (f. 118rb45–z) (incomplete) [= CI ‘De malua’ (M 4) f. 202ra37–z; (7) [Linga bovis] (f. 119ra) (acephalous) [= Choulant, pp. 74–5 (§ XXXIV Buglossa, ll. 1127–38)]; (8) ‘Aurotanus’ (f. 119ra7) [= Choulant, pp. 29–30 (§ II Abrotanum, ll. 31–51)]; (9) ‘Ruta’ (f. 119ra20) [= Choulant, pp. 39–40 (§ VII Ruta, ll. 267–331)]; (10) ‘Betonica’ (f. 119ra45–b45) [= Choulant, pp. 46–8 (§ XI Betonica, ll. 429–91); for grade cf. CI ‘De betonica’ (B VII) f. 191rb24–40]; (11) ‘Peretrom’ (f. 119rbw–va15) [= CI ‘De piretro’ (P 1) f. 205va50–b3]; (12) ‘Diptanus’ (f. 119va16–31) [= CI ‘De diptamo’ (D 5) f. 196vb7–31]; (13) ‘Argentum uium’ (f. 119ra32); (14) ‘Linga auis’ (f. 119rb10); (15) ‘Hermodactilis’ (f. 119rb22); (16) ‘Striguum’ (f. 119rb38); (17) ‘Sulpur’ (f. 120ra8); (18) ‘Siloes’ (f. 120rb11); (19) ‘Saluia’ (f. 120rb22); (20) ‘Petrosilinum’ (f. 120ra3); (21) ‘Iarus barba’ (f. 120ra16); (22) ‘Isoip’ (f. 120vb10); (23) ‘C[usc]uta’ (f. 120vb25); (24) ‘Esula’ (f. 121ra21); (25) ‘Enula’ (f. 121rb16); (26) ‘Cuminum’ (f. 121va14); (27) ‘Capillus Ueniris’ (f. 121vb6); (28) ‘Accetum’ (f. 121vb14); (29) ‘Cerusa’ (f. 122rb14); (30) ‘Artimesia’ (f. 122va4); (31) ‘Acasia’ (f. 122va24); (32) ‘Portulaca’ (f. 122vb8); (33) ‘Alumen’ (f. 122vb28); (34) ‘Plumbum’ (f. 123ra16); (35) ‘Pix’ (f. 123rax); (36) ‘Olibanum’ (f. 123rb14); (37) ‘Pomum citrinum’ (f. 123va14); (38) ‘Semper uiua’ (f. 123vb5); (f. 123vb25); (39) ‘Rubus’ (f. 123vb25); (40) ‘Sidubal’ (f. 124ra14); (41) ‘De absintico’ (f. 124ra22); (42) ‘De uritica’ (f. 124va17); (43) ‘Menta’ (f. 125vb4); (44) ‘Epitimum’ (f. 126rb13); (45) ‘Polepodium’ (f. 127raw); (46) ‘Don lus oil[...]’ (f. 127rb13); (47) ‘Fraxinus’ (f. 127va1); (48) ‘Sambucus’ (f. 127va19); (49) ‘Calmeentum’ (f. 127vb27); (50) ‘Epatica’ (f. 128rb22); (51) ‘Ordium’ (f. 128va3); (52) ‘Rosa marinus’ (f. 128va25); (53) ‘Papauer’ (f. 129ra4); (54) ‘Iusquiamus’ (f. 129ray). For textual correspondence with MS 1323, see below. F. 129v illegible but evidently contains two full columns of text.