Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in Royal Irish Academy
444
24 P 15
Medical Treatises
15th and 16th cent. Paper, 11 × 7½, pp. 194. Bd. in half vellum, back gilt, not lettered. Reeves mss. no. 834. Scribes : Cairbre Ó Cennamhain and Corc Ó Cadhla. The former wrote in, 1478 at Ros Broin (parish of Skull, Co. Cork), the latter in 1583-4 at Cell Clogain (parish of Templetown, Co. Wexford) : see memoranda at p. 126 and p. 193, infra. The ms. is thus described in the printed auction catalogue of Bp. Reeves' books (1892) : "834. A curious volume, containing two Medical works : the first transcribed in 1478 by Cairbre O'Canavan; the second in 1585, with an entry concerning the murder of the Earl of Desmond. Contains the Prognostics of Bernard Gordon. On paper, folio, pp. 256, hf. vel." The cataloguer counted in a number of blank leaves added in binding.
The signature of a former owner appears on p. 160 b, top margin : " Louras Cuminn a lamh ⁊ a leabhar." The name "Pa(u)l Peter Layburn" is scribbled on p. 150 i. The ms. is in a good state of preservation. It is written in double columns throughout; pp. 57-8 are damaged on the inside margin.
Contents : (1) a tract on medicines: (2) fragments of a translation of the Decem Ingenia Curandorum Morborum and Prognostica of Bernard of Gordon : (3) a version of "Petrus," i.e., the De Chirurgia of Petrus de Argelata.
p.
1 , col. a. In top margin, "In nomine Patris ⁊ Filii ⁊ Spiritus Sancti." Beg. Omnis scientia cum ex fine et utilitate sua naturaliter sit apetenda. Treatise on Materia Medica, part medical, part philosophical.
1 , col. b. Universalem igitur sanguinis repletionem Mis signis perpendimus. Of different humours, etc.
3 . Medicinal plants, Tuirbith, Laureola, Coconidium, Aloe, etc.
5 . Names of diseases, Uomitus, Singultus, etc.
6 b. On purgation by certain drugs : Medicinarum ergo simplicium. This tract agrees in part with that in 445, pp. 17-28. Compare, e.g., 444, p. 8, l. 21. seq. 445, p. 26, l. 12 seq. (on lenitive purges): and cf. B.M. Cat. i. 176 (5).
9 . Elacterium, etc. A gap after p. 12, which ends with article on Blanca, incomplete.
13 . On the seasons, beg. Diuiditur igitur tempus anni.
15 . On purging, beg. Premissis consideracionibus.
16 . On digestion, sweat, urine, etc. The treatise ends imperfect with p. 20, Et mas gan min folmuighes ni . . .
21-3, in hand of Core Ó Cadhla, should follow 166.
21 . Beg. in middle of pt. iv, cap. 8, of Bernard's Prognostica ata abhur na falaighi a uillib an gaile. Ends on p. 23, l. 11: Leantur an cuid ele don caibidil-si san duilleoig-si is foicsi dhuinn nar ndiaigh. Et aithinter e ⁊ cetera. The rest of p. 23 and 24 are blank.
25 . Version of tract by Petrus de Argelata, acephalous. Cf. no. 474, p. 177. Line 8, Apostemata colerica. Tract ends on p. 126 with Finit Petrus, followed by colophon : "Explicit Petrus. Indiu in cuiged la fichet do mi August 7 is e sin in la i ndiaigh laí fhéli Partholain 7 is a Ros Broin a tich Finghin i Mathamhna do crichnuighegh 7 bliaduin San Sem is nesa duin 7 misi Cairbre O Cendamhain do scribh 7 tabradh gach aen leghfus bendaehdain dom anmain ⁊ rla. Anno Domini Mcccclxxuiii." Below : "promadh pinn ann so."
127 . Headed : " [Bernar]di Gordoníi affectus preter naturam curandi methodus." Fragment of a translation of Bernard's Decern Ingenid Curandorum Morborum: breaks off at end of p. 130, mar foillsighes Galienus, in the middle of Ingenium 3 = middle of p. 674 of ed. 1559 (Lugduni).
131-193 = ff. 3-34 r. contain a fragmentary translation of Bernard's Prognostica. These leaves should be read in the following order (numbers of foliation): ff. 26-28, 21, 10, 11, 22-25, 12-15, 17, 18, 16, 19, 20 (here a gap in the original ms. supplied by pp. 21-3, above), 6-9, 5 v., 5 r., 3, 4, 29-34. The real beginning Senectus domina oblivionis est is at f. 26 r. The following note at foot of f. 9 v. (p. 144) = Progn. iv. 13, makes it probable that the scribe's exemplar was itself out of order and defective : "Iarthar an chuid eile don fPronostiea reimh 'Senectus domina oblivionis est' (above line: no 'Interrogatus a quodam Socrates') oir ni bfhuaras ionadh romham annso sis mar do hsailes. ar an adbur sin as eigin dam a deiredh do chor rena thosach. anno salutis 1584. misi Corc og" (in later hand : "mac Emuind mic Cuirc").
A comparison with no. 443 shows that the scribe is Corc óg Ó Cadhla, though here he is working in a different place and for another patron.
193 i, at end of Prognostica, partic. 5. "Finis. Anno Salutis 1583. Tarnuig annsin Prognostica Bernardus Gordonius, an 3 la do mi Februarius maille re cabuir an tslanaigtheora Isa. ⁊ a gCill Clogain do crichnuighedh gin gurob ann do tinnscnadh é. Ecda aibhle ar ndenamh an bliagain so .i. Gearoid mac Semuis mic Seaain iarla Deasmuman do dicennadh lesna soighdiuireadhaibh ⁊ Seaan . . ."
This shows that the scribe was copying from a ms. which ended with the last chapter of the Prognostica.
Other marginalia:
56 a. "Conus in foghnann i(n) dub-sa" (late hand).
126 . "Ni chuala fein ⁊ ni mo do chonnac riamh scriobhneoir budh luaithi na in Giolla Buidhe O Cennamhain c denni."