A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges

Merton College MS. 221

Former shelfmark: N. 3. 4

ARTICELLA &c.; S. XIII ex.

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Fols. 1, 3v, 5v-6 blank; on 4–5, 6v are faint pencil notes. On fols. 2–3 are medical notes in small anglicana hands. On fol. 6v is an early table of contents.

1. (fols. 7–12)
IOHANNITIUS, Isagoge ad Galeni Artem Paruam
Incipit: Medicina diuiditur in duas partes scil. theoricam et practicam
Explicit: boni maliue discretione.

Ed. D. Garcia and J. L. Vidal, Asclepio 26–7 (1974–5), 267–382; eTK 0856F, 1352I.

2. (fols. 12–17)
THEOPHILUS, De Vrinis
Rubric: Incipit liber urinarum Theophili.
Incipit: De urinarum differencia negotium multi ueterum medicorum agressi sunt scribere
Explicit: in diuersas conuenienter exposuimus.

Pr. Articella, Padua 1476 &c..

eTK 0393L
3. (fols. 17–18v)
PHILARETUS, De Pulsibus
Incipit: Intencionem habemus hac presenti conscripcione de pulsuum negocio compendiosam exponere tradicionem
Explicit: in mortem fignans. Et hec nobis sufficiant ad presencia.

Pr. Venice 1483 &c..

eTK 0764K
4. (fols. 19–69)

HIPPOCRATES, Aphorismi, with the commentary of GALEN, transl. CONSTANTINE THE AFRICAN

Rubric: Incipit liber Afforismorum Ypocratis cum commento Galieni.
Incipit: (prol.) Prefacio domini Constantini Affricani Montis Cassianensis monachi ad Hattonem discipulum suum. Licet peticionibus tuis continue
Incipit: Vita breuis ars uero longa
Explicit: tanto plus peiorabuntur.
Incipit: (comm.) Plurimi interpretes huius libri in hoc maxime sunt concordati
Explicit: et non esse ypocratica consummare poterit.
Final rubric: Explicit commentum G. super librum Afforismorum Ypocratis.

Text and comm. pr. as part of the Articella, Padua 1476 &c.; text eTK 1704J, 0828F, , this copy Hippocrates Latinus 56; comm. eTK 1055C, ; Hippocrates Latinus 39–40.

5. (fols. 69v–103v)

HIPPOCRATES, Prognostica, with the commentary of GALEN, transl. CONSTANTINE THE AFRICAN or GERARD OF CREMONA

Rubric: Incipit liber pronosticorum cum duplici translatione.
Incipit: Omnis qui medicine artis studio seu gloriam seu dilectabilem amicorum consequi desiderat
Incipit: Videtur mihi quod de melioribus rebus est ut utatur
Explicit: exposite ordine preceptorum.
Incipit: (comm.) Manifestum est quod Ypocrates non utitur hoc nomine
Explicit: et in quibusdam earum in die lxo. Explicit.
Final rubric: Explicit commentum pronosticorum cum duplici translacione.

Pr. as part of the Articella, Padua 1476 &c.; text eTK 1002B, , commentary eTK 0847L, ; this copy Hippocrates Latinus 210.

6. (fols. 103v–60v)

De Regimine Acutorum Morborum, with the commentary of GALEN, transl. CONSTANTINUS AFRICANUS or GERARD OF CREMONA

Rubric: Incipit liber Ypocratis de regimine acutorum cum duplici translatione
Incipit: Qui de egrotancium accidentibus
Explicit: si hora talia fiat.
Final rubric: Finit liber de dieta acutarum egritudinum
Incipit: (comm.) Qui sentencias illorum de assibus relatas scripserunt
Incipit: Non solum scripserunt rememoracionem sentenciarum relatarum si hora talia fiat
Explicit: de quibus deinceps faciam sermonem.

Text and commentary pr. Articella, Padua 1476, &c.; eTK 1205K, 0660A, 0922I, 0922L, ; Hippocrates Latinus 9.

Bk. III ends on fol. 144 with ‘... preterque infinitis ipsas ei dicat. Explicit liber acutarum regiminum et commentum cum duplici translatione’; fol. 144v blank. Bk. IV beg. impf. on fol. 145: ‘Cassus autem fit cum de siccitate uernule in estiua hora (text); multi tales in ultimis partibus (glo.). The marginal glosses beg. ‘Iste liber diuiditur in prohemium et tractatum’ (as eTK 0789D, , but this is a commentary on the Aphorismi).

7. (fols. 161–224v)

GALEN, Tegni, with the commentary of ALI IBN RODHAN (HALY ABBAS), transl. GERARD OF CREMONA

Rubric: Incipit commentum super librum Tegni Galeni ab Haly.
Incipit: Intendimus edere sermonem exponentem illud quod clausum est de sermone. Ga. in hoc libro suo qui notatur ars parua. Dico ergo quod Ga. nominat hunc librum artem paruam
Incipit: (Text) Tres sunt omnes doctrine
Explicit: de propriis conscripcionibus.
Final rubric: Explicit commentum Haly super Tegni cum duplici translacione. Deo gratias
Incipit: (comm.) In omnibus doctrinis que secundum ordinem currunt
Incipit: Doctrina est actio doctoris in discipulum
Explicit: quod magis completum est. Sicut lucerna relucens in abscondito ... In anno Domini nostri Iesu Christi M. C. 87.

Text pr. Articella, Venice 1487; eTK 0757H, 1585J, ; comm. pr. Articella, Venice 1483; eTK 0700J, . The last paragraph of the commentary is the ‘nominacio librorum’ or account of Gerard of Cremona’s translations, ed. K. Sudhoff, 'Die kurze "Vita" und das Verzeichnis der Arbeiten Gerhards von Cremona', Archiv für Geschichte der Medizin 8 (1914), 73–82, at pp. 75–80.

8. (fols. 225–41v)

GILES OF CORBEIL, De Pulsibus, with the commentary of GENTILE DA FOLIGNO

Incipit: Ingenii uires modicis conatibus impar
Explicit: Iam sterilem cultum Philareti uomitis horret.
Incipit: (glo.) Quatuor sunt membra principalia
Incipit: Auctor iste more recte scribentium operi suo prescribit proemium
Explicit: et opus suum claudat.
Final rubric: Explicit commentum Gilberti.

Text ed. L. Choulant (Leipzig, 1826), pp. 28–43; eTK 0744C; commentary pr. Padua 1484 &c.; eTK 0161N, 1181I.

9. (fols. 241v–64v)

GILES OF CORBEIL, De Vrinis, glossed by GILBERTUS ANGLICUS

Incipit: (prol.) Sicut dicit Constantinus in Pantengni et hoc idem testatur Iohannicius
Incipit: Dicitur urina quoniam fit renibus una
Explicit: (line 338) Aggrauat et cumulat mala circumstantia culpam
Incipit: (glo.) Tribus modis notificat urinam
Explicit: sed residuum sermonis est intellectum.
Final rubric: Expliciunt glosule magistri Gilberti super uersus Egidii.

Text ed. Choulant, pp. 4–18; WIC 4432; eTK 0422G; Wickersheimer 196–7; comm. unpr.; eTK 1483B, 1588F.

Throughout, but especially to arts 1–4, is extensive glossing in early anglicana hands, mostly in the margins but occasionally between the lines.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: (fol. 8) colectione
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: 268 leaves (ii + 266)
Dimensions (leaf): 290 × 200 mm.
Dimensions (written): 200 × 140 mm.
The edges savagely retrimmed with loss of marginalia and spattered with red. The last six leaves have been affected by ?heat, causing shrinkage and warping.

Collation

A6, 1–712, 814, 9–1012, 11–128, 1316, 14–168, 17–1812, 19–208, 21–212, 2316; catchwords and leaf-numbers, nearly all cropped.

Layout

Ruled with pencil in 2 cols of 50 lines of gloss; the text, in larger script, on every second line. Blocks of text and gloss alternate.

Hand(s)

Neat English gothic rotunda bookhands, slightly less formal in the gloss.

Decoration

Red and blue initials flourished in the colours and violet, with partial borders; blue initials flourished in red, red initials flourished in violet; red paraphs, highlighting and underlining; running heads in red and blue capitals.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, repaired, rebacked and resewn on six bands; formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i-ii, 265–6 are modern paper blanks. fol. 1, a pastedown in an earlier binding, has marks of two foredge straps and of straps at head and tail.

History

Origin: S. XIII ex. ; Script of English appearance.

Provenance and Acquisition

On fol. 1v ‘Liber magistri Willelmi Duffeld ex empcione’. Below, in a very formal hand, is ‘Liber domus scolarium de Merton Hall Oxonie ex dono Magistri Willelmi Duffeld archidiaconi Clyuelandie ad inchatenandum infra librariam ibidem.’ At the foot of fol. 264v ‘Magister Willelmus Duffeld dedit librum istum magistro Ioh’ Somerseth ad terminum uite sue ita quod post uitam eius remaneat in collegio de Merton’ Oxon’ in eternum.’ For Duffield, fellow in 1398, no longer in 1422, see MS 91. Somerset (BRUO 1727–8) studied at Oxford then migrated to Cambridge because of the plague, MD by 1428, physician to Henry VI from that year, still in 1447, d. by 1455.

Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with table of contents, s. xvii, and ‘P. 2. 4. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘No. CCXXI’ and ‘N. 3. 4’ in red. The College bookplate. ‘4’ is inked on the foredge.

Record Sources

R. M. Thomson, A descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts of Merton College, Oxford (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer), 2009.

Availability

For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.

Bibliography

    Coxe, pp. 86–7; Powicke, no. 930.

Funding of Cataloguing

Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Warden and Fellows of Merton College .

Last Substantive Revision

2019-08-01: First online publication

See the Availability section of this record for information on viewing the item in a reading room.