Catalogue notice
MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS in prose and verse, in
Latin, French, and English. Some of the contents are
noticed by M. Paul Meyer in Bulletin de la Soc. des
Anciens Textes Français, 1893, pp. 38-56. Contents:
1. Office in honour of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster
beheaded in 1322. Printed from this MS. by T.Wright,
Political Songs, Camden Soc., 1839, p. 268, and in York-
shire Archaeol. Journal, 1882, p. 358. Beg. 'Gaude,
Thoma, ducum decus, Lucerna Lancastrie'. f. 1.
At the foot of f. 1 is a couplet 'Heu, proles queritur quod rara
fides reperitur. | Lex iuris moritur, fraus viuit, amor sepelitur'.
2. Rhyming verses on the corruption of the law-courts.
Printed, with additional verses, from Harley MS. 913,
f. 59, by Wright, op. cit. pp. 224, 382. Beg. 'Beati
qui esuriunt et faciunt iusticiam | et oderunt et fugiunt
iniurie nequiciam'. f. 1 b.
3. Copy of inspeximus by Edward II of an inspeximus
by Edward I, dated 8 June, 1280, of two charters of
Henry III, dated 20, 23 june, 1253, granting franchises
to the Hospitallers of S. John of Jerusalem. Dat.
Chertsey, 22 Sept. ao 2 [1308]. Printed in the Irish
Record Commission's Chartae, Privelegia, &c., 1171-
1395, p. 42 (wrongly dated), cf. Delaville le Roulx,
Cartulaire, iv, no. 4822. f. 2.
4. Hymns and prayers, viz.:-(a) 'Sanctus Edmundus
composuit et contulit dicenti triginta dies venie': Latin
hymn to the Virgin (13 x 4 lines) by Edmund Rich (cf.
art. 18, Chevalier, Rep. Hymn. no. 2267). Followed by
a prayer. Beg. 'Aue, uirgo virginum, fons et maris
stella'. f. 4;-(b) Hymn to the same (five stanzas), in
French. Printed by Meyer, loc. cit., p. 40. Beg. 'Le
angle a Marie entra en la chambre celee'. f. 4;-(c)
'Simplex meditatio de sacramento altaris, quicumque
eam deuote dixerit dum secretum misse agitur a fratre
Iohanne de Peccham quondam (1279-1292) archiepi-
scopo Cantuariensi, qui eam composuit, xl. dies venie pos-
sidebit': a hymn (15 x 4 lines, Chev. Rep. Hymn. no. 2278)
sometimes wrongly assigned to S. Bonaventura or
(Arundel MS. 301, f. 80) S. Thomas Aquinas. Other
copies are in 2 A. II, art. 12, Harley MS. 913, f. 57 b,
and Arundel MS. 374, f. 77. Beg. 'Aue, viuens hostia,
veritas et vita', f. 4 b.
5. Proverbial verses and miscellaneous notes, includ-
ing :-(a) One line on the virtues of caraway (cf. 12 B. III,
f. 150). f. 4 b;-(b) Rules for sortes to interpret dreams,
Lat. ff. 4 b, 5;-(c) Twenty lines, chiefly proverbial,
beg. 'Clericus es fronte si vertice laycus es tu'. f. 5;-
(d) Three lines on troubles in Henry II's time, beg.
'Per menses ter sex vexatus ab hostibus est rex'. f. 5b;
-(e) Ten lines on phlebotomy; the first two are ll. 2762,
2763 of Renzi's Schola Salernitana (Coll. Sal. v). Beg.
'Estas, ver dextras, autumpnus yempsque sinistras'.
f. 5b;-(f) Recipes for dyeing linen, in French prose.
Beg. 'Si vus volez linge toylle auer iaune'. f. 5 b;-(g)
Virtues of celandine, Latin prose. f. 6;-(h) Prophecy
for 1325 (corrected to 1326), 'Anno mille c. ter x. bis
quinto (sexto) dabit ether | vina bladum fructus, flet pro
principe luctus, | vna columpna cadet populo quia
c[r]ismata tradet'. f. 6;-(i) Charms against mice in a
granary. Beg. 'Accipe quatuor lapides crete'. f. 6;-
(k) Brief questions on the sacraments. Beg. 'Quid facit
baptismus ? Mundat ab originali peccato'. f. 6.
6. Chronological, prophetical, and other verses, in-
cluding:-(a) Couplet on Adam's stay in hell;-(b) Cou-
plet giving the date of the foundation of the Cistercian
order.-(c) Couplet on the length of time between the
Creation and Incarnation;-(d) Five lines on Thomas
Becket's murder (cf. Add. MS. 35091, f. 113, Higden's
Polychronicon, Rolls Ser., viii, p. 44). Beg. 'Quis mori-
tur ? presul ; cur ? pro grege ; qualiter ? ense'. Erased
by a 16th cent. hand with note 'vacat. falsum fuit';-
(e) Verses supposed to be addressed by the Emperor
Frederic II to the Pope [Gregory IX ?] and the Pope's
reply (here each in four lines only), cf. Harley MS.
3724, f. 49b. Cf. also the prophecy attributed to
Michael Scot in Salimbene's chronicle, Monum. Hist.
ad Provincias Parmensem el Placenlinam peritentia,
Parma, 1857, p. 177. Beg. 'Fata monent stelleque
docent auiumque volatus'-(f) Prophecy for 1293, as
in Cotton MS. Titus D. vii, f. 30, and printed in the
Worcester chronicle (Rolls Ser.), p. 515. Versions
adapted to later years are in Lansd. MS. 762, f. 48, and
Sloane MS. 429, f. 24 b, and one is printed in Wolfgang
Lazius' Fragmenium Vaticinii, &c., Vienna, 1547. Beg.
'Gallorum leuitas Germanos iustificabit'. f. 6b.
7. Maccaronic satirical verses (36 rhyming hexa-
meters), partly alliterative, in Latin, French, and English.
Printed from this MS. in T. Wright's Political Songs,
p. 251. Beg. 'Quant homne deit parler, videat que
verba loquatur'. f. 7.
8. Medical commonplaces, in Latin and French.
Beg. 'Auycenna dicit quod mors naturalis est infra lxx.
annos'. At the end three lines on phlebotomy, beg.
'Festa Valentini nos docent flegbotomari'. f. 7 b.
9. 'Hastucie algorismi': eighteen arithmetical and other puzzles, sometimes called cautelae algorismi, most of which occur in one of the similar collections in 12 F. XIX, f. 184, Add. MS. 30380, f. 183 b, and Sloane MS. 3281, f. 54. A few come from the Propositiones ad acuendos iuvenes, a collection probably taken from the Greek and attributed to Bede or Alcuin (Migne, Patr. Lat . xc. 667, c. 1143). One of these is the familiar ferry-boat problem (see W. W. R. Ball, Math. Recreations , 1896, p. 61), but the answer to it is here in verse, as also to two others. Beg. 'Destinet aliquis super denarium'. f. 8.
10. Cookery recipes, in French. The dishes are not unlike those in Add. MS. 32085, f. 117 b, but the directions are less extensive. Printed by Meyer, l. c . p. 48. He notices an English version in a Phillipps MS., no. 8336, in Romania , xiii, p. 506. Beg. 'Blanc desirree. Let de alemaundes, flur de rys', f. II.
11. Fictitious letter from an unspecified Christian in the East to a Christian [monarch ?] in the West, describing a supposed warlike invasion by a false prophet calling himself Christus Nazarenus, who drives in a gold chariot carrying a book entitled 'Liber executionis noui testamenti'. Beg. 'Ad flagellum humani generis'; ends 'primo patefacta sunt hec in estate anno dom. milesimo trescentesimo tricesimo quinto'. f. 13.
12. Prophecy for four years, apparently of the early part of Edward III's reign, described as 'mandata quedam que missa fuerunt regi Castelle et magistris Toletanis'. Preceded by an explanation of the symbolism. This and the next five articles are noticed by Ward, Cat. of Romances , i, p. 316. Imperfect copies are in Cotton MSS. Titus D. VII, f. 30, Claud. E. VIII, f. 1 b. Explanation beg. 'Quia antiqui mistice loqui cupientes'; prophecy, 'Quoniam superbis resistit deus'. f. 14.
13. Prophecy attributed to S. Methodius, Bishop of Patara: a brief passage not taken from his De principio saeculi (cf. 5 F. XVIII, art. 2). Beg. 'Methodius dicit, Sub gallo Hispano corruet Francia'. f. 15.
14. 'Isti versus inuenti sunt scripti in quadam rupe excelsa in monte sancti Michaelis in Cornubia in quadam vetustissima cedula': prophecy in ten leonine hexameters, beg. 'Ni pax formetur, draco candidus egredietur'. f. 15.
15. 'Extractum de libro Merlini Siluestris qui Wallice est conscriptus et in Cambria prophetauit sic'; as in Cotton MS. Faust. A. VIII, f. 116, and elsewhere (see Cat. of Rom ., l. c .). Beg. 'Catulus lintheus in lupum rapidum'. f. 15 b.
16. Prophecy concerning the Lily, the Lion, &c. (cf. 13 E. IX, f. 27, Cat. of Rom., l. c. ). Beg. 'Hermerus deus sapientum: anno a creatione mundi vi m . v c . xxxvii [A. D. 1338?] lilium regnans in nobiliori'. f. 16.
17. Vision of consecration-oil, &c., seen at Sens by S. Thomas Becket, as in Cotton MS. Titus D. VII, f. 28, 13 E. IX, f. 27 b, and elsewhere ( Cat. of Rom., l. c .). Beg. 'Quando ego Thomas Beket Cantuariensis archiepiscopus exul ab Anglia'. Imperf. by loss of leaves after f. 16. At the foot of the page is a couplet, 'Cum facis ingressum, studeas sic esse modestus, ut post discessum tibi sit regressus honestus'. f. 16 b.
18. 'Le liuere ke seint Edmund de Punteneye fist. e si est apele Speculum amicicie' (so colophon): the summa (more commonly called Speculum Ecclesiae) of Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury (1234-1240, canonized 1248), in French . Other copies are in Arundel MS. 288, f. 103, Harley MS. 1121, f. 141 (cf. P. Meyer in Romania , xxix, p. 53, xxx, p. 74). For the Latin see 5 A. VI, art. 4, and 7 A. I, art. 3, La Bigne, Max. Bibliotheca, 1677, xxv, p. 316. Beg., after table of tituli, ' Videte euocationem uestram , &c. [I Cor. i. 26]: Cest mot del apostoille'. At the end, after the words 'Amen par sa doce pite', is the couplet 'Amie, pur vus ai fet cest escrit, e cher le tenez e ne mie en despit', followed by a Latin prayer and second colophon 'Ici finist le liuere' (&c. as above). f. 17.
19. Tract on the Mass, in French, giving subjects for contemplation during the celebration. Beg. 'Nostre seygnur Iesu Crist quaunt il uolet partir de cest secle'; ends 'poez vus partyr a dieu'. f. 30 b.
20. Romance of Fulk Fitz-Warin, in French prose (adapted presumably from a verse original). The only known MS., see Cat. of Romances , i, p. 501. Printed with Ralph de Coggeshall's Chronicon (Rolls Ser.), 1875. Beg. 'En le temps de Aueryl e May'. f. 33.
21. 'In festo solennitatis corporis Christi ad completorium ympnus': hymn (5 x 4 lines) beg. 'Iesu nostra refeccio panis potus fidelium'. Printed in Neale's Hymni , &c., Chevalier, Rep. Hymn. no. 9589. f. 61.
22. Chronicle of the Brute, in English verse (1036 lines) to A. D. 1312. Printed from this MS. by Ritson, Metrical Romances , 1802, ii, p. 270. A slightly longer copy is in the Auchinleck MS., Edinburgh Advocates' Library. Beg. 'Herkneþ hideward lordynges 3e þat wolleþ here of kynges ant 3e mowen heren anon hou Engelonde furst bigon'; ends 'þer his heued wes of smyte'. f. 62.
23. Romance of Arays and Amylion, in French verse, differing considerably from the version printed by Conrad Hofmann ( Amis et Amiles , 1852). For description see Cat. of Romances , i, p. 674. Beg. 'Qi voet oyr chaunzon damur de leaute e de graunt doucour'. f. 69.
24. Two hymns, viz.:-(a) 4 x 4 lines, beg. 'Aue virgo uirginum, mater Iesu Christi';-(b) 3 x 12 lines, beg. 'O mira Christi pietas, o quanta miseratio'. f. 76 b.
25. Lunationes et Somnia, a pair of treatises on prognostication which appear together in a variety of shapes, both in Latin and in other languages. Early forms of this and part of the following article occur in Cotton MS. Tib. A. III, f. 27 b (Latin and Anglo-Saxon), cf. also 12 E. XVI, artt. 1, 9 (English), and 13 D. 1, art. 14 (Dreams only, in Latin). For printed Latin texts see Hain's Repertorium , 5923 sqq. In the present MS. the days of the month are treated of in French verse, but the dreams in Latin prose, viz.:-(a) Lunationes, imperf. by loss of leaves at beg. The first complete day beg. 'La disme lune est profitable'. f. 77;-(b) 'Incipit visio ac exposicio Danielis prophete': a dictionary of dreams in alphabetical order. Beg. 'Arbores cum fructibus qui viderit'. f. 81 b.
26. 'Incipiunt signa ostensa Osdree ( sic ) prophete': further tables of prognostication, in Latin , viz.:-(a) From thunder, beg. 'Si mense Ianuario tonitruum sonuerit'. Besides the months in which thunder occurs (as in Egerton MS. 2852, f. 107), there is also a section on the part of the sky in which it takes place. It is entirely different from the early table of prognostications in 2 B. v, art. 8 (f). f. 86;-(b) From the day of the week on which the first of January falls, nearly as in Cotton MS. Tib. A. III, f. 36. Beg. 'Si kalende Ianuarii fuerint die dominica yemps bona suauis et calida'. f. 86 b (c) From the sky, four verses beg. 'Aurea ventos, pallida nimbos, alba serenum'. f.87;-(d) From birthdays, beg. 'Beda dixit quod tres sunt dies'. f. 87;-(e) From the week-day of Christmas, not identical with (b), beg. 'Si natiuitas domini die dominica euenerit, yemps bona et ventosa'. Other copies are in Harley MS. 1811, f. 36 b, Egerton MS. 2852, f. 108 b. It is to these prognostications from Christmas or New Year that the name of Esdras is commonly attached. Various versions occur in Sloane MSS. 122, f. 125, 282, f. 86, 475, f. 217, 1609, f. 47 (Engl.), 3469, f. 37, &c. (cf. 12 E. XVI, art. 2). f. 87.
27. Another prognostication from the first of January, attributed to the prophet Hezekiah, in French verse. Eight stanzas, beg. 'En terre de labour e de promissioun'. An imperfect copy is in Sloane MS. 3469 (f. 37b). f. 88.
28. Medical collections, in French and Latin , viz.:-
(a) Diet for the several months, in Fr . verse, beg. 'En le mois de Jenyuer vyn blanc jun beuez'. f. 89 b;-
(b) Times for bleeding, in Fr . prose, beg. 'Fetes vous seigner chescun an'. f. 90;-(c) Parlous days, in Fr . prose, beg. 'Les mestres qe cest ait'. f. 90 b;-(d) On bleeding, five Lat . verses, including ll. 2680, 2681, 2762, 2763 of Renzi's ed. of Schola Salernitana. Beg. 'In sene vel iuuene si vene sanguine plene'. f. 91;- (e) Parlous days, twelve Lat . lines, beg. 'Prima die nona nocet hora, septima quinta'. f. 91;-(f) On bleeding, Fr. prose note, beg. 'Qy se fra seigner voie quant le sang est cler'. f. 91.
29. 'Le tretitz Aristotle entitlee segree des segretz' (so colophon): the second section (Physiognomy) of the Pseudo-Aristotelian Secreta Secretorum (cf. 12 D. III, art. I). A French translation. Beg. 'Entre autre choses est cele qe besoignast'. f. 91 b.
30. A book of sortes, in French , preceded by a translator's preface in verse, beg. 'Sire, de tous bienz paralosee cest come vus ay aparchenee qe en Romaunz ay translatee de fort Latin e entrikee'. To thirty-six questions are assigned twelve answers each, every group bearing the name of a bird. The first is entitled 'Faucoun' and begins 'Enceynte est e le ne puet celer'. Four lines at the end explain the mode of using the sortes. f. 94.
31. Another similar collection, in verse, consisting of twenty stanzas of twenty lines each, answering similar questions and bearing various titles, including the sun, moon, and signs of the zodiac. The first is 'Solayl' and beg. 'Le planete vus dit qe votre desir trouerez'. Five lines at the end explain the use. f. 98b.
32. Medical notes on (a) Bleeding, in Latin . ff. 105 by 106;-(b) Medicine for the car, in French . f. 106.
33. A short note on chiromancy, in Latin. Beg. 'Nota quod lynee naturales in palma sunt tres'. f. 106.
34. Two chiromantic diagrams, with explanation in Latin. f. 100 b.
35. 'Optima medicina pro 3elwold': a charm in English . Beg. 'Haske furste þe nome of þe seke body'. An insertion. f. 107 b.
36. 'Hic infallibilis liber incipit; an tibi peius an ferat instabilis melius sors ars docet eius': the Liber Experimentarius or book of astrological sortes translated from the Arabic, according to some MSS., by Bernard Silvester [of Chartres], see Black's Catal. of Ashmole MSS. no. 304. The work consists of 28 sets of 28 verses, each set bearing an Arabic title. The first title is Almazena, the last Algagamenar. They are preceded by a table which begins 'De uita quid erit quere a sedente super orientalem faciem turris Saturni'. The translation here is in leonine hexameters having a nearer approach to quantitative scansion than that in 12 E. IV, below. Beg. 'Almazena primus. Hoc ornamentum decus est et fama parentum'. f. 108.
of which occur in one of the similar collections in
12 F. XIX, f. 184, Add. MS. 30380, f. 183 b, and
Sloane MS. 3281, f. 54. A few come from the Pro-
positiones ad acuendos iuvenes, a collection probably
taken from the Greek and attributed to Bede or Alcuin
(Migne, Patr. Lat. xc. 667, c. 1143). One of these
is the familiar ferry-boat problem (see W. W. R. Ball,
Math. Recreations, 1896, p. 61), but the answer to it is
here in verse, as also to two others. Beg. 'Destinet
aliquis super denarium'. f. 8.
10. Cookery recipes, in French. The dishes are not
unlike those in Add. MS. 32085, f. 117 b, but the direc-
tions are less extensive. Printed by Meyer, l. c. p. 48. He
notices an English version in a Phillipps MS., no. 8336,
in Romania, xiii, p. 506. Beg. 'Blanc desirree. Let de
alemaundes, flur de rys', f. II.
11. Fictitious letter from an unspecified Christian in the East
to a Christian [monarch ?] in the West, describing a
supposed warlike invasion of a false prophet calling
himself Christus Nazarenus, who drives in a gold
chariot carrying a book entitled 'Liber executionis noui
testamenti'. Beg. 'Ad flagellum humani generis';
ends 'primo patefacta sunt hec in estate anno dom.
milesimo trescentesimo tricesimo quinto'. f. 13.
12. Prophecy for four years, apparently of the early
part of Edward III's reign, described as 'mandata que-
dam que missa fuerunt regi Castelle et magistris Tole-
tanis'. Preceded by an explanation of the symbolism.
This and the next five articles are noticed by Ward,
Cat. of Romances, i, p. 316. Imperfect copies are in
Cotton MSS. Titus D. VII, f. 30, Claud. E. VIII, f. 1 b.
Explanation beg. 'Quia antiqui mistice loqui cupientes';
prophecy, 'Quoniam superbis resistit deus'. f. 14.
13. Prophecy attributed to S. Methodius, Bishop of
Patara: a brief passage not taken from his De principio
saeculi (cf. 5 F. XVIII, art. 2). Beg. 'Methodius dicit,
Sub gallo Hispano corruet Francia'. f. 15.
14. 'Isti versus inuenti sunt scripti in quadam rupe
excelsa in monte sancti Michaelis in Cornubia in quadam
vetustissima cedula': prophecy in ten leonine hexa-
meters, beg. 'Ni pax formetur, draco candidus egre-
dietur'. f. 15.
15. 'Extractum de libro Merlini Siluestris qui Wallice
est conscriptus et in Cambria prophetauit sic'; as in
Cotton MS. Faust. A. VIII, f. 116, and elsewhere (see
Cat. of Rom., l. c.). Beg. 'Catulus lintheus in lupum
rapidum'. f. 15 b.
16. Prophecy concerning the Lily, the Lion, &c.
(cf. 13 E. IX, f. 27, Cat. of Rom., l. c.). Beg. 'Hermerus
deus sapientum: anno a creatione mundi vim. vc. xxxvii
[A. D. 1338?] lilium regnans in nobiliori'. f. 16.
17. Vision of consecration-oil, &c., seen at Sens by
S. Thomas Becket, as in Cotton MS. Titus D. VII, f. 28,
13 E. IX, f. 27 b, and elsewhere (Cat. of Rom., l. c.). Beg.
'Quando ego Thomas Beket Cantuariensis archi-
episcopus exul ab Anglia'. Imperf. by loss of leaves
after f. 16. At the foot of the page is a couplet, 'Cum
facis ingressum, studeas sic esse modestus, | ut post dis-
cessum tibi sit regressus honestus'. f. 16 b.
18. 'Le liuere ke seint Edmund de Punteneye fist. e
si est apele Speculum amicicie' (so colophon): the
summa (more commonly called Speculum Ecclesiae) of
Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury (1234-1240,
canonized 1248), in French. Other copies are in
Arundel MS. 288, f. 103, Harley MS. 1121, f. 141
(cf. P. Meyer in Romania, xxix, p. 53, xxx, p. 74).
For the Latin see 5 A. VI, art. 4, and 7 A. I, art. 3,
La Bigne, Max. Bibliotheca, 1677, xxv, p. 316. Beg.,
after table of tituli, 'Videte euocationem uestram, &c.
[I Cor. i. 26]: Cest mot del apostoille'. At the end,
after the words 'Amen par sa doce pite', is the couplet
'Amie, pur vus ai fet cest escrit, | e cher le tenez e ne
mie en despit', followed by a Latin prayer and second
colophon 'Ici finist le liuere' (&c. as above). f. 17.
19. Tract on the Mass, in French, giving subjects for
contemplation during the celebration. Beg. 'Nostre
seygnur Iesu Crist quaunt il uolet partir de cest secle';
ends 'poez vus partyr a dieu'. f. 30 b.
20. Romance of Fulk Fitz-Warin, in French prose
(adapted presumably from a verse original). The only
known MS., see Cat. of Romances, i, p. 501. Printed
with Ralph de Coggeshall's Chronicon (Rolls Ser.),
1875. Beg. 'En le temps de Aueryl e May'. f. 33.
21. 'In festo solennitatis corporis Christi ad comple-
torium ympnus': hymn (5 x 4 lines) beg. 'Iesu nostra
refeccio | panis potus fidelium'. Printed in Neale's
Hymni, &c., Chevalier, Rep. Hymn. no. 9589. f. 61.
22. Chronicle of the Brute, in English verse (1036
lines) to A. D. 1312. Printed from this MS. by Ritson,
Metrical Romances, 1802, ii, p. 270. A slightly longer
copy is in the Auchinleck MS., Edinburgh Advocates'
Library. Beg. 'Herknefl hideward lordynges | 3e flat
wollefl here of kynges | ant 3e mowen heren anon | hou
Engelonde furst bigon'; ends 'fler his heued wes of
smyte'. f. 62.
23. Romance of Arays and Amylion, in French verse,
differing considerably from the version printed by Con-
rad Hofmann (Amis et Amiles, 1852). For description
see Cat. of Romances, i, p. 674. Beg. 'Qi voet oyr
chaunzon damur | de leaute e de graunt doucour'. f. 69.
24. Two hymns, viz.:-(a) 4 x 4 lines, beg. 'Aue virgo
uirginum, mater Iesu Christi';-(b) 3 x 12 lines, beg.
'O mira Christi pietas, | o quanta miseratio'. f. 76 b.
25. Lunationes et Somnia, a pair of treatises on pro-
gnostication which appear together in a variety of shapes,
both in Latin and in other languages. Early forms
of this and part of the following article occur in Cotton
MS. Tib. A. III, f. 27 b (Latin and Anglo-Saxon), cf. also
12 E. XVI, artt. 1, 9 (English), and 13 D. 1, art. 14
(Dreams only, in Latin). For printed Latin texts see
Hain's Repertorium, 5923 sqq. In the present MS. the
days of the month are treated of in French verse, but
the dreams in Latin prose, viz.:-(a) Lunationes, im-
perf. by loss of leaves at beg. The first complete day
beg. 'La disme lune est profitable'. f. 77;-(b) 'Incipit
visio ac exposicio Danielis prophete': a dictionary of
dreams in alphabetical order. Beg. 'Arbores cum
fructibus qui viderit'. f. 81 b.
26. 'Incipiunt signa ostensa Osdree (sic) prophete':
further tables of prognostication, in Latin, viz.:-(a) From
thunder, beg. 'Si mense Ianuario tonitruum sonuerit'.
Besides the months in which thunder occurs (as in
Egerton MS. 2852, f. 107), there is also a section on the
part of the sky in which it takes place. It is entirely
different from the early table of prognostications in
2 B. v, art. 8 (f). f. 86;-(b) From the day of the week
on which the first of January falls, nearly as in Cotton
MS. Tib. A. III, f. 36. Beg. 'Si kalende Ianuarii fuerint
die dominica yemps bona suauis et calida'. f. 86 b
(c) From the sky, four verses beg. 'Aurea ventos, pallida
nimbos, alba serenum'. f.87;-(d) From birthdays,
beg. 'Beda dixit quod tres sunt dies'. f. 87;-(e) From
the week-day of Christmas, not identical with (b), beg.
'Si natiuitas domini die dominica euenerit, yemps bona
et ventosa'. Other copies are in Harley MS. 1811,
f. 36 b, Egerton MS. 2852, f. 108 b. It is to these pro-
gnostications from Christmas or New Year that the
name of Esdras is commonly attached. Various versions
occur in Sloane MSS. 122, f. 125, 282, f. 86, 475, f. 217,
1609, f. 47 (Engl.), 3469, f. 37, &c. (cf. 12 E. XVI, art. 2).
f. 87.
27. Another prognostication from the first of January,
attributed to the prophet Hezekiah, in French verse.
Eight stanzas, beg. 'En terre de labour e de promis-
sioun'. An imperfect copy is in Sloane MS. 3469
(f. 37b). f. 88.
28. Medical collections, in French and Latin, viz.:-
(a) Diet for the several months, in Fr. verse, beg. 'En
le mois de Jenyuer | vyn blanc jun beuez'. f. 89 b;-
(b) Times for bleeding, in Fr. prose, beg. 'Fetes vous
seigner chescun an'. f. 90;-(c) Parlous days, in Fr.
prose, beg. 'Les mestres qe cest ait'. f. 90 b;-(d) On
bleeding, five Lat. verses, including ll. 2680, 2681, 2762,
2763 of Renzi's ed. of Schola Salernitana. Beg. 'In
sene vel iuuene si vene sanguine plene'. f. 91;- (e)
Parlous days, twelve Lat. lines, beg. 'Prima die nona
nocet hora, septima quinta'. f. 91;-(f) On bleeding,
Fr. prose note, beg. 'Qy se fra seigner voie quant le
sang est cler'. f. 91.
29. 'Le tretitz Aristotle entitlee segree des segretz'
(so colophon): the second section (Physiognomy) of the
Pseudo-Aristotelian Secreta Secretorum (cf. 12 D. III,
art. I). A French translation. Beg. 'Entre autre choses
est cele qe besoignast'. f. 91 b.
30. A book of sortes, in French, preceded by a
translator's preface in verse, beg. 'Sire, de tous bienz
paralosee | cest come vus ay aparchenee | qe en Ro-
maunz ay translatee | de fort Latin e entrikee'. To
thirty-six questions are assigned twelve answers each,
every group bearing the name of a bird. The first is
entitled 'Faucoun' and begins 'Enceynte est e le ne
puet celer'. Four lines at the end explain the mode of
using the sortes. f. 94.
31. Another similar collection, in verse, consisting of
twenty stanzas of twenty lines each, answering similar
questions and bearing various titles, including the sun,
moon, and signs of the zodiac. The first is 'Solayl'
and beg. 'Le planete vus dit qe votre desir trouerez'.
Five lines at the end explain the use. f. 98b.
32. Medical notes on (a) Bleeding, in Latin. ff. 105 by
106;-(b) Medicine for the car, in French. f. 106.
33. A short note on chiromancy, in Latin. Beg.
'Nota quod lynee naturales in palma sunt tres'. f. 106.
34. Two chiromantic diagrams, with explanation in
Latin. f. 100 b.
35. 'Optima medicina pro 3elwold': a charm in
English. Beg. 'Haske furste fle nome of fle seke body'.
An insertion. f. 107 b.
36. 'Hic infallibilis liber incipit; an tibi peius | an ferat
instabilis melius sors ars docet eius': the Liber Experi-
mentarius or book of astrological sortes translated from
the Arabic, according to some MSS., by Bernard Sil-
vester [of Chartres], see Black's Catal. of Ashmole MSS.
no. 304. The work consists of 28 sets of 28 verses,
each set bearing an Arabic title. The first title is
Almazena, the last Algagamenar. They are preceded
by a table which begins 'De uita quid erit quere a
sedente super orientalem faciem turris Saturni'. The
translation here is in leonine hexameters having a
nearer approach to quantitative scansion than that in
12 E. IV, below. Beg. 'Almazena primus. Hoc orna-
mentum decus est et fama parentum'. f. 108.