Marston MS 211     Italy, s. XV 2
Macer Floridus; Marbode, etc.

1. ff. 1r-36r  Incipit macer de uirtutibus herbarum.  
Herbarum quasdam diciturus carmine uires./
Herbarum mater dedit artemisia nomen./
Cui grecus sermo iustum puto ponere primo./...
Partibus in geminis.  pars admiscere terendo./
Vna diagridij sic apta solutio fiet./  Amen deo gratias.

Macer Floridus (Odo of Meung), De virtutibus herbarum; beginning on
f. 4v, the sections are numbered 6-76.  L. Choulant, ed., Macer Floridus
de viribus herbarum una cum Walafridi Strabonis...(Leipzig, 1832)
pp. 28-123.  Thorndike and Kibre, 610.

2. ff. 36r-37r  Nunc dicam de uirtutibus trium generum/
Lapidum videlicet de chelidonio.  Corallo et de albectorio [sic]./
At chelidonius lapis est quem gingit yrundo/
Ventre gerens precium quo digna sit ipsa necari./...
Et simul humores conpescere quosque nociuos.
[f. 36v:]  [C]orallus lapis est dum uiuit in equore nimem [sic]./
Retibus auulsus uel cesus acumine ferri./...
Introitus prestat faciles.  finesque secundos.
[f. 36v:]  Ventriculo galli qui testibus est uiduatus./
Cum tribus aut nimium factus spado uixerit annis/...
[ends, f. 37v:]  Comodus uxori que uult fore grata marito./
Vt bona tot prestet.  clausus portetur in ore.

Extracts from Marbode, De gemmarum, lapidumque pretiosorum formis,
naturis, atque viribus:  De chelidonio, De corallo, De
allectorio.
J. M. Riddle, ed., Marbode of Rennes' (1035-1123) De lapidibus, Sudhoffs
Archiv.  Zeitschrift fuer Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Beiheft 20 (1977)
pp. 54-55, 59-60, 39-40. The text was collated by a later scholar with the 
Cologne edition of 1528 (note on f. 37r):  variant readings and comments 
appear in margins.

3. ff. 37v-38r  Aries caput.  Taurus collum.  Gemini brachia.  Cancer
pectus...Acquarius tibias.  Pisces pedes.  Vt sciatur que uena incidatur uel
purgetur in hora et die cuiuslibet...Sol preest in homine cordi quod est
callidum membrum...[followed by Luna, Mars, Mercurius, Iuppiter, Venus,
Saturnus, concluding, f. 38r:]  Nota quod imprescripta [sic] tabula potest
intelligi xij. signa per que pertransit luna in qualibet lunatione...de
brachijs luna existente in gemini et sic de alijs.

Instructions for bloodletting.

4.  ff. 38v-39v  [1] Elementum diuinum ad integrandum lumen oculorum...;
[2] Decoptio ad dolorem et tumorem et obtalmiam oculorum...;
[3] Aqua ad dolorem oculorum ex materia callida...;
[8] Puluis ad delendos pannos oculorum...;
[9] Puluis magistri rainaldi [sic] de villa noua...et teratur et utere
in oculo.

Nine short recipes for various eye ailments, in Latin.

5. f. 39v  [1] Unguento da occhi buono...;
[2] Acqua da occhi...;
[3] Vnguento da occi da trarne [or trarre?] omne panno et omne male....

Three short recipes for various eye ailments, in Italian (with some Latin
interspersed).

Paper (sized, some deckle edges; watermarks, in gutter:  similar to
Briquet Chapeau 3373), ff. iii (paper) + 39 (contemporary foliation, in
ink, 1-39) + iii (paper), 225 x 147 (151 x 88) mm.  33 long lines or lines
of verse.  Single vertical and horizontal bounding lines full across
(Derolez 13.13); ruled in lead.  Prickings in upper, lower and outer
margins for all rulings.
I 14, II 16, III 14 (-10 through 14).  Horizontal catchwords centered
below written space, verso (Derolez 12.1).
Arts. 1-2 written in a small gothic script with humanistic features,
above top line;  arts. 3-5 in less formal scripts in larger module.
Simple initials, 2-line, headings and numbering in art. 1, in red, except
for ff. 37v-38r where initials are in black.  Guide letters and a few sketches
(in lead) for initials.
Binding:  Italy, s. xix.  Rigid vellum case; brown, gold-tooled label with
title:  "Macer/ Herbarum."

Written in Italy in the second half of the 15th century; provenance
unknown.  Purchased in 1956 from Authur Lauria, Paris, by L. C. Witten
(inv. no. 1008), who sold it in 1958 to Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  Noxia

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 88, no. 211.

Barbara A. Shailor