Miscellany

University Library, MS Add. 4087, ff. 37v-38r
England, c. 1400
Vellum, 189 x 136 mm (134 x 88 mm), IV + 278 ff.

This manuscript contains a rich and dense collection of about thirty alchemical, mathematical, medical and astrological writings, including texts attributed to the great scholastic philosopher Thomas Aquinas (Roccasecca, 1225–Fossanova, 1274), the polymath Avicenna (Balkh, 980–Hamadan, 1037), best known for his medical and philosophical writings, and the Oxford astronomer and physician Simon Bredon (c. 1310–1372). A folio is missing between f. 37 and f. 38. At f. 38r, the treatise entitled Liber Hermetis ends with the words: Explicit liber hermetis de 4 partibus. The following text is the Tractatus de septem figuris planetarum (‘Treatise on the seven figures of planets’). The reference to Messaylat on f. 38r l. 1, is probably to the Persian Jewish astrologer Mashallah ibn Athari ماشاءالله بن أثري (Basra, c. 740–815) – exotic names were often rendered in a variety of ways by medieval European writers. The contrast between this manuscript and MS Gg.1.1 is particularly striking. Written in Latin, without illustrations, this manuscript represents the type of scholarly reference work which circulated amongst the learned. It demonstrates the continuing use of Latin as a major language of scholarship alongside the increasingly popular vernaculars of England. This manuscript was bequeathed to the University Library by Samuel Sandars in 1894.