York, York Minster Chapter Library, XVI E 32
| Shelfmark | Date and Language |
Part 1: | Contents |
Part 2: | Contents |
Part 3: | Contents |
Part 4: | Contents |
Part 5: | Contents |
Part 6: | Contents |
Part 7: | Contents |
Part 8: | Contents |
Part 9: | Contents |
Part 10: | Contents | Physical Description | History | Record History | Bibliography |

Shelfmark
Country:England
Settlement:York
Repository: York Minster Chapter Library
Idno:XVI E 32
AltName:
Back to Top
Date and Language
Date:s. xiv/xv
Language: English
Dialect:Scribe of ff. 81r-108r: Scribal Dialect: Leicester but with 'signs of mixture'. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: not mapped (McIntosh, Samuels, and Benskin 1986, vol. 1, p. 168). Scribe of ff. 108v-117v, 122v-125r and 145v-end: Scribal Dialect: NW Norfolk. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: not mapped (McIntosh, Samuels, and Benskin 1986, vol. 1, p. 168). Scribe of ff. 118v-121r: Scribal Dialect: NW Derbyshire. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: not mapped (McIntosh, Samuels, and Benskin 1986, vol. 1, p. 168). Scribe of ff. 126v-128v: Scribal Dialect: probably Notts. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: not mapped (McIntosh, Samuels, and Benskin 1986, vol. 1, p. 168). Scribe of ff. 129r-144v: Scribal Dialect: S. Shropshire or NE Herefordshire. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: not mapped (McIntosh, Samuels, and Benskin 1986, vol. 4, p. 200).
Back to Top
Part 1
Contents
A composite manuscript of medical texts etc. in ten independent sections assembled in this form by c. 1500.

Item: 1
Locus:f. 1r
Title:
Incipit:'Rex alfridus regnauit xxi annis'.
Explicit:'Rex henricus [IV] xiiii ann'.
Bibliography:

Item: 2
Locus:f. 1r
Title:Plague, famine, insurrection etc.
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:Notes of plague in 1348, 1361, and 1367, famine in 1370, insurrection in 1381.
Bibliography:

Item: 3
Locus:f. 1v
Title:
Incipit:'Hic incipit racio spere pictagori'.
Explicit:
Note:Six lines of verse.
Bibliography:

Item: 4
Locus:f. 1v
Title:Recipe for gout
Incipit:'Tak ambrosse sawge wormod herbe iohn rossemary'.
Explicit:'and leyt yt stand xxiiij days on cold grond and seyyt and put hem yn boxys'.
Rubric:'For şe gowte'.
Note:Written at the bottom of the page in a hand of c. 1500. This hand is also responsible for texts on ff. 3v, 4r, and 4v.
Bibliography:

Item: 5
Locus:f. 2r-v
Title:Charm for fever
Incipit:
Explicit:
Rubric:'A charme for şe feueris cum intrasset dominus ihesus in domum simonis leprosi'.
Bibliography:

Item: 6
Locus:f. 2v
Title:Recipe for painless childbirth
Incipit:'Leye vpon hyre wombe şis wryte maria peperit christum anna mariam elizabeth iohannem cecilia remigium + satorum + arapo + tenet + opera + rotris + and ?yf hire to drynke betanye and ?he schal haue childe withoute trauayle'.
Explicit:
Rubric:'To delyuer a woman of a dede childe oşer of a quyke'.
Note:Recipe given here in full.
Bibliography:Ogden 1938, p. 106. Gray 1974, pp. 56-71, p. 63.

Item: 7
Locus:ff. 3r-v
Title:Charms for the treatment of epilepsy
Incipit:'Seye şes wordes in his ri?t ere agodes plalmo placete and takey hym be şe ry?t hond'.
Explicit:'and make a rynge and write şes wordys şerinne and let hym bere hit vpon hym and he schal neuer haue it whyles hit is abowte hym'.
Rubric:'Pro morbo caduco''To hele şe fallyn euyl'.
Note:Three instructions for the treatment of epilepsy.
Bibliography:Stephens 1844, p. 399.

Item: 8
Locus:f. 3v
Title:Medical recipe
Incipit:'Take ye hosmynte and seş hym with y[sic] red wyne and pout şerto a powdor of sougor şat ys trafel of chylde and she schal ber hur child without eny gret labre or harme'.
Explicit:
Rubric:'For a woman şat travel of child for to be delyvred without harme or gref'.
Note:Given in full. This hand also responsible for texts on ff. 1v, 4r, and 4v.
Bibliography:

Item: 9
Locus:f. 4r
Title:Three unlucky Mondays
Incipit:'Also wytey wel şat şere be iii monendaies in şe ?eere perilous şe first mononday of feuerere'.
Explicit:
Rubric:'Theyse be şe iii mundayes'.
Note:Cf. IPMEP 687, 713, and 723.
Bibliography:Förster 1929, pp. 270-7.

Item: 10
Locus:f. 4r
Title:Recipe for epilepsy
Incipit:'And for şe fallyng ylle tak nuttyse şat grouit on a noce and stamit and termper it vyt vyne ouer alle and drinc it v dayys fastynge and he schal be holle'.
Explicit:
Rubric:'Pro morbo + caduco'.
Note:This hand also responsible for texts on ff. 1v, 3v, and 4v.
Bibliography:

Item: 11
Locus:f. 4v
Title:Recipe to make balsam
Incipit:'Take erbe ion a gode quantite before şe feste of seynt ion and grynde hem in a morter as small as şou mayst'.
Explicit:'and holde şem ower a bacyn şat şe bame may go şerinne and şan put it in verre and vittit wel hit hat a grete vertu but it last but iii'.
Rubric:'To make bame'.
Bibliography:

Item: 12
Locus:f. 4v
Title:Recipe for lechery
Incipit:'To distrye şe lust of lecerie. Take hemloc in şe iiii day of şe new mone or şe sunne arise and berit vpon hym and he schal nou?t haue no lyst to lecherye'.
Explicit:
Rubric:'To distrye şe lust of lecerie'.
Note:Given in full.
Bibliography:

Item: 13
Locus:f. 4v
Title:Recipe for staunching blood
Incipit:'Item take letuse sed and ete hit ofte tymis and hit schal staunche'.
Explicit:
Note:Given in full.
Bibliography:

Item: 14
Locus:f. 4v
Title:Recipe for staunching blood
Incipit:'Item drynke often tymis rewe and verueyn vii days and hit vil stanche'.
Explicit:
Note:Given in full.
Bibliography:

Item: 15
Locus:f. 4v
Title:Recipe
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:Too faded to decipher. This hand also responsible for texts on ff. 1v, 3v, 4r.
Bibliography:

Item: 16
Locus:f. 5r
Title:Charm for women in childbirth
Incipit:
Explicit:
Rubric:'For wemen şat trawayillit on cyldebed'.
Note:English rubric to a Latin charm
Bibliography:

Item: 17
Locus:f. 5r
Title:Recipe to remove teeth
Incipit:'Take gum of yuery and gryve euete and brenne şe euete to poudre in a newe potte of erşe and medle şe poudre wit şe gume'.
Explicit:'let it be so iii wykys and at şe iii wykys ende şou schalt fynd şe hole fule of gume'.
Rubric:'For sorre tethe to take şem out without any enstrument'.
Bibliography:

Item: 18
Locus:f. 5r
Title:Recipe for size
Incipit:'Tak a quart of lyncedoyle and iiii owncys of mastik and i ownce of red led and i ownce of whyt coperoze'.
Explicit:
Rubric:'For to make a gode scyze'.
Bibliography:

Item: 19
Locus:ff. 5v-6r
Title:The Sphere of Pythagoras
Incipit:'Of whateuer şing şou wylt wyte and haue knowyng as to say of seke men at şe begynnyng what day he layde hym doun seke in his bed or of feghters or of fleers'.
Explicit:'if şey be euene he is blind on şe lifte side and if şey be nought euene he is blinde on şe right side'.
Rubric:'Here bygynis şe resoun of şe spere pittagri prelati şe whiche he wrot to apoliagro'.
Bibliography:Voigts 1986.

Item: 20
Locus:f. 6v
Title:Lunar Diagram
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:Lunar diagram recording Etas lune (in red), Signa, Gradus (in red) and Minuta.
Bibliography:

Item: 21
Locus:f. 6v
Title:Attributes of the zodiacal signs
Incipit:'Aries leo sagittarius ignea colerica attractiua orientalia'.
Explicit:
Bibliography:
Back to Top
Part 2
Contents

Item: 22
Locus:ff. 7r-12v
Title:Astronomical calendar
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:Saints' names have been added in the late fifteenth/early sixteenth century.
Bibliography:

Item: 23
Locus:f. 13r
Title:Table - lunar eclipse
Incipit:
Explicit:
Rubric:'Tablua eclipsium lune'.
Note:Table for lunar eclipses for the years 1414 (1409 interlined)-1450.
Bibliography:

Item: 24
Locus:f. 13v
Title:Table - solar eclipse
Incipit:
Explicit:
Rubric:'Tabula eclipsium solis'.
Note:Table for solar eclipses for the years 1411-62.
Bibliography:
Back to Top
Part 3
Contents

Item: 25
Locus:ff. 14r-78v
Title:Medicinal Recipe
Incipit:'Tak veruyne or betoni or wormode and make lei?e şerof and wasche şyn hede şerwiş'.
Explicit:'that oile is good for gowte and morphe in şat maner şou maist make water of alle maner trees also of herbis şou maiste make oille'.
Rubric:'Si caput sit infirmum cetera membra dolent'.
Note:Over 100 recipes in English. Cf. Lincoln Cathedral, MS 91, and Manchester, Chetham's Library, MS 27938, ff. 7-56v.
Bibliography:Ogden 1938.

Item: 26
Locus:ff. 78v-79r
Title:Table of contents
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:A table of contents to the first 61 items of this section of the manuscript.
Bibliography:

Item: 27
Locus:f. 79v
Title:Recipe for nervall
Incipit:'Tak beton and ameros groundyuyn wormwode mogwort aweron sayghe mynt walwort loryll camemell watkyrs maylls nettyls chykynmet tak swet of a deyre and may bortter and howll dolyfe and frankynseynce'.
Explicit:
Rubric:'Şus begyns makyn of nerwell'.
Note:Recipe for an ointment for the nerves or sinews. Recipe added to the end of the quire.
Bibliography:

Item: 28
Locus:f. 80r-v
Title:Charm for toothache
Incipit:'In honorem domini nostri ihesu christi sancte marie et sancte barbore et apollonie dicatis'.
Explicit:
Colophon:'For şe tothe ache'.
Bibliography:

Item: 29
Locus:f. 80v
Title:
Incipit:'Versus de virtute agni dei'.
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 30
Locus:f. 80v
Title:Table
Incipit:'In this table ye schall fynde everi thyng set owt be numbre'.
Explicit:
Note:A later addition.
Bibliography:
Back to Top
Part 4
Contents

Item: 31
Locus:ff. 81r-108r
Title:Collection of medical recipes
Incipit:'Recipe şe iuse of planteyne and of syngrene and of stonore and medele şerewiş whete flower'.
Explicit:'water made of stannemarche is gode for şe feuere water of hony sowkyn şat grewes on wodebynde it sleeş şe cancre in şe mouşe and ouer alle'.
Rubric:'This tretys byfore wryten is compyled of şe tretyses of arystotel galeyne and of ypocrase and of oşer leches of salerne. Magister willelmus leche de kylingholme'.
Note:'Magister willelmus leche de kylingholme' is written in blue ink. Killingholme is in north east Lincolnshire, north west of Grimsby.
Bibliography:

Item: 32
Locus:f. 108v
Title:Man of Signs - drawing
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:The drawing of a 'man of signs' depicting the twelve zodiacal signs on his body. English explanation in red.
Bibliography:MacKinney 1965, pp. 56-7.

Item: 33
Locus:ff. 109r-v
Title:Zodiacal Grid
Incipit:'Şe noumbrary in şe fyrst lyne'.
Explicit:
Note:How to find the houses of the moon using the diagram. The diagram consists of a grid 13 x 12 with each square containing a zodiac sign.
Bibliography:Power 1910, pp. 18-19.

Item: 34
Locus:ff. 109v-110v
Title:Thirty-two perilous days for blood-lettting
Incipit:'In şis dayes is noght good but gret perel to meue blod'.
Explicit:'be war of cuttyng in şe feet in ony maner'.
Rubric:'Triginta duo dies sunt in anno secundum grecos periculosi et infelices'.
Note:Zodiac names in red.
Bibliography:
Back to Top
Part 5
Contents

Item: 35
Locus:ff. 111r-112r
Title:Treatise attributed to Galen on the regulation of the body in each month
Incipit:'In şe monyth of genyuer whyht wyn is good fastyng to drynke and blod latyng forbere for viii dayes ben in şat mone of gret perel şat is i day'.
Explicit:'iiii dayes şer ben of perel şe xv şe xvi şe xvii şe xviii day and şus şou may kepe al şe ?er from harm'.
Rubric:'Of şe mones in şe ?eer heer techyn maystyr galyon and ipocras şe gode lechys of mete and drynk and tyme of bledyng'.
Bibliography:

Item: 36
Locus:ff. 112r-114r
Title:Herbal recipes
Incipit:'Hic sunt nomina herbarum plantago agni lingua'.
Explicit:'wyth şe rede flouris'.
Note:Text in two columns.
Bibliography:

Item: 37
Locus:ff. 114r-116v
Title:Herbal recipes
Incipit:'Tak iiii li popelyr and iii li erbe wauter i li hennebane'.
Explicit:'?yf hym to eten or cast a lytyl sene in hys potage'.
Rubric:'for to make poppylyan'.
Note:A list of 27 ailments with a choice of recipes for each.
Bibliography:

Item: 38
Locus:ff. 116v-117v
Title:Treatise on good and bad days for letting blood
Incipit:'He şat letys hym blod on şe ryht arm şe viii day of marche'.
Explicit:'it ?eues lygthnes to şe lemes of şe body'.
Bibliography:Thorndike 1929, p. 119, n. 30.
Back to Top
Part 6
Contents

Item: 39
Locus:ff. 118r-119r
Title:Prophecies of Esdras
Incipit:'Yf şe day of oure lord fall vpon a sonenday a god wynter and a wyndy lentoun and a wyndy somere and a god somere and a dry and god wyn oxoun shal encres schep shal multipli hony and mylke and all god şinge shal multepli'.
Explicit:'whoso ar seke ful longe it shal hold şam and vnneşe shal skap to liue and şenk on him şat wrot şis'.
Note:The benefits and disadvantages of the following year depending on which day Christmas falls.
Bibliography:

Item: 40
Locus:ff. 119r-120r
Title:On the Virtues of Betony (IMEV 2627)
Incipit:'To telle of beteyn i haue gret mynde.'
Explicit:'on erth be founde'.
Rubric:'Betonia'
Note:Rhyming couplets written as prose.
Bibliography:Powell 1987.

Item: 41
Locus:ff. 120r-121r
Title:Treatise on the virtues of Rosemary
Incipit:'Şes are şe vertues of şe rosemaryne şe wiche is both her and tre as şe leches of salerne wrote to the countes of henowde and che sende a copy til hir doghter quen of engelonde şat hight qwen philippe'.
Explicit:'also take şe leues of şis herbe and put in a tune of wyne and hit shal kepe şe wyne fro turnynge to vynegere'.
Bibliography:Harvey 1972, Bühler 1969, p. 286.

Item: 42
Locus:f. 121v
Title:Drawing of a left hand
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:Explanations are in English. The palm faces upwards.
Bibliography:

Item: 43
Locus:ff. 122r-123r
Title:Treatise on bodily characteristics and their significance
Incipit:'Her şat is euene and fayr betokenys dwellyng and goodnesse of broun colour and rownesse of her betokenys on wys and mekyl her betokenys wanderyng blak her betokenys rythwysnesse'.
Explicit:'to şe betyr part it arn prefable'.
Rubric:'Of her'.
Bibliography:

Item: 44
Locus:ff. 123r-125r
Title:The Interpretations of Daniel the Prophet (IPMEP 100)
Incipit:'A man ?yf he dreme şat he se bryddes fytyn ageyn hym it betokenyth wrathe foulys '.
Explicit:'to gedde şe with a gerdyl of gold wynnyng with a barryd gerdyl langour or wratthe to sowe sedys to haue chydyng or slaundyr'.
Rubric:'Her begynnyth şe exposyssyun of dremys şat danyel şe profete saw...to haue chydyng or slandyr'.
Note:A translation of the Somniale Danielis. Meanings of the dreams are rubricated.
Bibliography:Ed. from London, British Library, MS Sloane 1609 by Förster 1911, pp. 52-84. Supplemented by Bühler 1962.

Item: 45
Locus:f. 125r-v
Title:Recipes for removing fleas, and flies, the virtues of the kite, and the turtle-dove
Incipit:'Take a bole horn and bren it and do it smoke and alle şe flen wyl fle away'.
Explicit:'?yf it be anoyntyd şerwyth'.
Rubric:'For to dystroye flen'.
Bibliography:
Back to Top
Part 7
Contents

Item: 46
Locus:ff. 126r-128v
Title:Medical recipes
Incipit:'Tak betoyne verueyn wermod cleydoyne waybrod walwort suage and v perpercornes stamp hem and seth hem'.
Explicit:'take ius of ache and hony and do şem samen and oynte şe festur şerwith and if şe taynt be white şen is it'.
Note:A collection of c. 50 recipes.
Bibliography:
Back to Top
Part 8
Contents

Item: 47
Locus:ff. 129r-144v
Title:Recipes and charms
Incipit:'Take şe notemuge and clow gilofre and canel and a litel quantitie of caumfre and musk şat be gode and fyn'.
Explicit:'Take synghe arnement and garlek and pound hem'.
Rubric:'Here techeş maister galian şe leche to ponopholon his disciple of makyng of waters of oymentes of drenches of oyles of entretes to helpe şe seke as ?e mow sen here afturward'.
Note:A collection of c. 80 medical recipes. Each recipe has its own heading eg. 'water of armoniak'. The recipes on ff. 141v-142 and ff. 143v-144 have been crossed through.
Bibliography:
Back to Top
Part 9
Contents

Item: 48
Locus:ff. 145r-165v
Title:Recipes
Incipit:'Gyf hym to drynke pigle bugyl senygle herbe roberd anence rede wortys tansey hemp'.
Explicit:'bren it to poudyr in a newe erthen pot and do it in şe hole şat şe werm hath mad'.
Rubric:'For alle maner of sores wondes and postemys and oncomes kanceres or festeres or goute festeres or felenes for alle maner of sores şat on man comes and to haue away wenes and frackenys and rede blaynes of şe vyse and sausfleme medecyne prouyd şow schal fynde on şis book wretyn'.
Note:A collection of c. 150 ailments with corresponding recipes. Each ailment is rubricated. The recipes are written continuously.
Bibliography:
Back to Top
Part 10
Contents

Item: 49
Locus:f. 166r
Title:Annotated diagram on urines
Incipit:
Explicit:
Rubric:'Heer is şe tabele of dyscressyun of waterrys be dyuers colouys to knowe dyuers euelys in manys body be şe doctrine of maystyr galyon and ipocras şe worthy lechys'.
Note:A circle divided into types of urine, eg. 'redych colour of a cler gold'. An English version of the Latin 'Western uroscopy chart'. The rubric is written below the diagram.
Bibliography:Mackinney 1965, p. 12, fig. 6 printed from Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 789, f. 364v.

Item: 50
Locus:ff. 166r-170r
Title:Diagnosis of different types of urine
Incipit:'Vryn redysch betokenes heel and good dysposicyun of manys body vryn not so redysch as şe fyrste betokenes goode hele but noght so perfyht'.
Explicit:'sethen on şe bowels of woman of şe matrice sethen on şe matryce sethen on şe bleddere make şi medecynes as reson askes'.
Bibliography:

Item: 51
Locus:ff. 170r-173v
Title:Fevers
Incipit:'şer ben fele kendys of feuerys şat norechyn in men sothly of chaungyng of tymes and of age of trauayle of drunkechepe of syknes of fryenesse of bytytrnes'.
Explicit:'and aftyr şat wach şe hand and lat hym drynk şat watyr probatum est'.
Note:Remedies for fevers including recipes, charms, masses, holy water.
Bibliography:

Item: 52
Locus:f. 173v
Title:Remedies for fevers
Incipit:'...in istis versibus predictus [sic] sunt xii dominiones'.
Explicit:'et in tali hora est dies mala 01987654321'.
Rubric:'an oşir messe for şe feuerys'.
Note:Latin remedies for fevers with an English rubric.
Bibliography:
Back to Top
Physical Description
Form:Codex
Support: Parchment
Extent:180-188 x 122-135 mm
Collation: 16, 26 + 1 leaf after 6; 3-512; 610 (wants 1-3); 7-812; 9-118; 128 (wants 1, 2); 138 (wants 8); 148; 156 (wants 1, 3 and 5); 16-188; 198 (wants 2, and 6); 206 + 1 leaf after 5; 218.
Layout:Writing space varying from 160 x 105 mm to 130 x 85 mm.
Writing: Ker and Piper note that the manuscript is written 'mainly in clear anglicana by several hands' (1992, p. 705). Scribe of ff. 14r-78v writing in a current Anglicana script. Scribe of ff. 81-108, 111r-144r writing in an Anglicana Formata script. Scribe of ff. 109v-110v, 145r-165v, and 166r-173v writing in a Bastard Anglicana script. Scribe of the second item on f. 173v writing in a Textura script.
Decoration: Decoration of ff. 14r-78v and 129r-144v: two/three-line red initials; ff. 81-108: one/two-line blue initials and two-line red initials.
Binding: Eighteenth-century binding. Size: 185 x 120 mm. Parchment over cardboard with 'MEDICINE. by WILL: DE KILINGHOLME AD MCCCCXII' printed on the spine.
Foliation:ff. iv + 173 + iii. Ff. 14-80 have a post-medieval foliation, 1-36, 38-69. Ff. 81-108 have a late medieval foliation, 1-28.
Additions:Marginal note, f. 91r, 'A medysen for my wyffys hed ache provyd trew', with a hand pointing to the text in a fifteenth-century hand.
Condition:Leaves missing before f. 105. A single leaf missing after ff. 153 and 156.
Back to Top
History
Provenance:A colophon in blue on f. 108r suggests that that section of the book was written by or for ''. F. 1r: '', ' (?)', both in sixteenth-century hands. F. 170v: ' (?) of churche str[e]tton' in a sixteenth-century hand.
Acquisition:Donated by Revd. Edward Churton rector of Crayke in 1843.
Back to Top
Record History
Catalogued and encoded: Rebecca Farnham, University of Birmingham, August 2003.
Back to Top
Bibliography
Back to Top