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MS. Bodl. 483

Summary Catalogue no.: 2062

Contents

Language(s): Middle English

1. (fols. 1–13)
Medical recipes

The latter part of a book of recipes, some leaves being lost at the beginning: the first recipe in the text is 'For the feuer tercian': at fol. 3v is a kind of title 'Here begynneth Medicynes that good Leches hathe founden and drawen ...'

See A. Barratt (ed.), The Knowing of Woman's Kind in Childing (2001), p. 13 art. 1
2. (fols. 14–51, 54–57)
Herbal 'Agnus Castus'
Incipit: Agnus castus is an herbe
Incipit: (fol. 19) Agrymonia ys an herbe

Ends with Solatrum nigrum.

Barratt, p. 13 arts. 2, 4

3. (fols. 51–4)
Poem on rosemary (DIMEV 5977)

Barratt, p. 13, art. 3.

4. (fols. 57–80)
Herbal 'Here men may see'
Incipit: Here men may se the vertues off herbes

A treatise beginning with Qvyntefoyle.

Barratt, p. 13, art. 5; ed. P. Grymonprez, Here Men May Se the Vertues Off Herbes: A Middle English Herbal, Scripta : Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies 3 (Brussels, 1981)
5. (fols. 82–103v)
The Knowing of Woman's Kind in Childing

Followed (fols. 130v-104v) by gynaecological recipes, cf. MS. Douce. 37. Barratt, p. 13, art. 6 and passim.

6. (fols. 104v-117r)

Short treatises on sexual and genital disorders, menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth. See Barratt, pp. 13–14, arts. 7–14.

Various English recipes are interspersed in the volume.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: paper
Extent: 117 leaves
Dimensions (binding): 9 × 6.5 in.

Hand(s)

Two hands: (A) fols. 1–18, 82-end; (B) fols. 19–81.

History

Origin: 15th century, middle ; English

Provenance and Acquisition

'Jhon Barcke', abt. A. D. 1500 (fol. 117v).

Presented by Thomas Twyne in 1612.

Record Sources

Description adapted (April 2020) from the Summary Catalogue (1922) with additional reference to other published literature as cited.
Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 190
Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 191

Bibliography

    Printed descriptions:

    A. Barratt (ed.), The Knowing of Woman's Kind in Childing (2001), pp. 12–14

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2020-04-30: Description revised to include all information in SC with reference to other cited literature.