Saturday 27 May 2017

Trinity College MS O.2.48 – The Hermetic Lunatica

Cambridge, Trinity College MS O.2.48 is a late XIV Century herbal which is thought to have been written in Germany. Rene Zandbergen has linked the digital scans on the Voynich.ninja forum. 

The discussion of Herba Lunatica / Borixa starts at f96v and ends at f97v. The plant is not illustrated, but the first lines of the text are interlaced with the roots of an illustration of Verbena (the subject of the pages preceding the Lunatica essay).

Illustration of Vervain and first lines of the Lunatica / Borixa essay

Vera Segre Rutz discusses a similar Latin text in “Gli Erbari di Ermete” (in “Hermetism from late antiquity to humanism” - Lucentini, Parri, Perrone-Compagni eds. - 2004). The manuscripts mentioned in the paper attribute the text to Hermes Trismegistus with the title “Capitulum Hermetis sapientissimi de arbore qui dicitur borissa id est lunatica” (Essay by the most wise Hermes about the tree that is called Borissa i.e. Lunatica). Segre Rutz lists six manuscripts that include this text, noting that the differences between them are “numerous and significant”:
  • London, Arundel 342 – Italian? - before 1361 (the text is appended to the Latin version of the Kyranides)
  • Vatican, Pal. Lat. 1339 – XV Century
  • Volterra, Guarnacci 5399 – XV Century
  • Bethlehem, Lehigh University 1 – Catalan - XV Century
  • Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 395 – Catalan - XV Century (a much longer version of the Lunatica essay, pointed out to Segre Rutz by Michela Pereira; this ms also features several illustrations of Lunaria)
  • London, Wellcome Institute 261 – Italian - XVI Century? (this ms apparently contains an illustrated herbal)
Textmanuscripts.com (Les Enluminures) presents another XV Century Italian manuscript that apparently has been recently sold on the market.

The fact that the Trinity ms apparently includes a second XIV Century copy of the Lunatica essay could be of a certain interest. This version is considerably longer than the version transcribed by Segre Rutz (Wellcome ms 261). I have been unable to access the Corpus Christi ms in order to understand if the two extended versions are similar.

The overall structure of the essay is the following:
  1. Title, description of the plant and of its relation with the waxing and waning of the Moon.
  2. Incantation / prayer one should recite when picking the plant (missing in the Wellcome ms).
  3. Alchemical use of the plant for the transmutation of metals and more details on the appearance of the plant.
  4. The plant as an elixir of youth.
  5. List of specific locations in which the plant can be found (missing in the Wellcome ms). The fact that the most specific locations are in Northern Italy could suggest that (this version of) the text was written there.
  6. How to use the gold produced with Lunatica to make a magical ring granting dominion on people and demons. The Trinity ms includes several other uses of the ring. The Wellcome ms includes a description of an image to be engraved on the ring: such description is missing in the Trinity ms. 
It is also noteworthy that the title of the chapter is different in the Trinity ms: instead of the attribution to Hermes, the prayer (precantio) to be recited when picking the plant is mentioned.

In the following transcription and translation, I have highlighted in bold the passages in which the Trinity and Wellcome manuscripts are closer.

Transcription:
Trinity College MS O.2.48 Wellcome MS 261
[96v] precantio herbe lunatice alij borixeam dicunt alii borixam. alij bona | mitos alij herba constantini. alij lucernalis. quod eius flos et herba tota | lucet in nocte. et pastoribus videntibus eam lucens in nocte quasi | pavescunt quod putant illam esse fantasmata. hac herba est similis maio | rane cuius folia celestis coloris similis foliis viticelle . sunt ro | tunda ad modum denariorum. hac una herba nascitur sine foliis a nove | lunio usque ad plenitudinem lune cotidie unum folium producit. | … medietate mensis lunaris. xv habet folia. deinde [?] cum luna | deminuitur cotidie unum folium amitit. donec sine foliis pe | [97r] nitus denudata Capitulum Hermetis sapientissimi de arbore que dicitur borissa id est lunatica, que est similis folie maiurane, cuius folia celestis colloris similia sunt foliis viticelle, hec quidem nascitur sine foliis a prima Luna usque ad plenum Lune quotidie unum folium producit et sic usque ad medium mensis lunaris 14 habet folia. Deinde cum Luna minuatur quotidie folium unum perdit donec sit foliis penitus denudata sicut fuit procreata.
(+) unum accipiens [?] hanc herbam cum hoc car[mine?] | et vade ad eam mundus et nitidus sic ut de […] et […] | orientem. O magne Rex adonay in cuius sunt omnes potestates et virtu | tes et medicamina omnium herbarum. per omnia sancta nomina tua. et per glorio | sam assensionem tuam ac ressiurectionem et per beatissimam virginem mariam | matrem tuam desponsatam ioseph. te deprecor ut non custodias ad | peccata mea nec ad miseriam meam. sed custioas ad misericordiam | ac pietatem tuam. ut des huic herbe omnes virtutes et omnes potestates | ut qui de hac herba […] habet virtutem efficacem[?] . per te regnante | dominus per infinita secula seculorum amen. + hic signes eam post evellendo | eam dicas hac sancta nomina dei. alpha et omega. agla. octinomos tetragrammaton. | pantoncraton. Emanuel. Enecphaton + . ya vau. Rex [...] . et per semper [...] altera[?] inmortalis agnus inmaculatus sabaoth. | hoc dicendo flexis genibus evelle ipsam uno ictu. Qui tali modo | hanc herbam carminaverit eam tenebit quod sine hac precationem hec | erba evanessetur ante te. et ipsa collecta amiteres ipsam. Quia | a te fugeret +
De hac herba accipe et eius sucum extrahe in quo suco | mercurium fac bolire et fit lapis rubeus. et de hac lapide pone super […] et | fiet sol. et de hoc sole pone unam partem super C eius et fiet[?] sol. | Item de radice huius herbe fac pulverem vel de eius stipite. et de hac pulvere | pone super saturnum uncie[?] i super C et fiet optimus sol . Item de […] | herba cum sua radice fac pulverem si est […] ut non habet[?] sucum. | Et pone de hac pulvere uncie[?] i super C . eius et fiet optima luna. Et de hac luna si posueris uncie[?] i super C saturni. fiet sol […] | Hac herba nascitur in montibus et in ripis fluminum. […] | folia sunt rotunda ad modum denariorum[?]. lignum eius ru[be?]um […] | et sucus eius similiter. et eius folia sunt similima in colore […] | viola[rum?] ipsius odor est[?] . ut odor musci. […] | [97v] […] et virtuti in sole. et de ipso sole pone super | […] sol de quo sole simile si super saturnum posueris ut [...] est | […] fiet sol. Item de suco radicis huius herbe. unge ferrum | et fiet luna. Accipe igitur hanc herbam et eius succum extrahe in quo mercurium fac bullire et fiat lapis rubeus et de hoc lapide proice supra cuprum id est ramum et fiat aurum cuius V° pars super centum. Hec erba nascitur in ripis fluminum et in montibus cuius folia sunt rotunda ad modum dinariorum lignum eius est rubeum et flos eius est citrinus et eius odor sicut muschii et habet lac simile croco. Accipe aquam huius erbe quam terendo et comprimendo extrahe et pone super argentum et vertitur in aurum optimum et de hoc accipe partem unam et pone super plumbum et fiet aurum et de radice huius herbe extrahe succum terendum et unge ferrum aridum et exinde mollificabit fietque lime et de hac lima pone super mercurium et fiet lapis. Accipe de foliis eius et sicca et pone inde super argentum et fiet aurum et si exinde super es posueris fiet luna
Item de pulvere huius herbe vel radicis. pondus unius carobie. | accipiatur. et ponatur cum eoque[?] pondere de spica nardi. et ligni[?] aloes. et mirre. | […]. et de hac quis biberit per ix dies pondus trium carubiorum . Omnes pilli | albi et cani cadent. et nigri[?] nascentur. et totum corpus eius efficietur quasi | in forma et etate xxx annorum. et in illo robore erit. Et in | hos ix dies scit[?] dieta ut lac vacinum et suco […]. et lac | amigdalarum. Et in hos ix dies stet in thalamo oscuro ut aliquem | splendor diei scit. et si de ipso pulvere ponderis unius carube acciperis et equo pondere cum spica romana mescueris et in urina posueris de ipso usque ad octo dies quotidie biberis pondere unius unzie, vel carube omnes albi pilli de tuo corpore cadent et in loco eorum nigri nascentur et infra hos octo dies sit dieta tua in lacte vacce dulci et ita de sene fiet fortis et iuvenis et si vis ad lumen oculorum mirablilem reddit visum
Hec dicunt herba invensta[?] fuit a pastoribus | quod […] pastores per hanc herbam sciunt renovationem lunationis. | Et nascitur in montibus magnis sasoxis. et specialiter in illis montibus | invenitur ubi currunt flumina. Quidam eam[?] inveniunt circa aliquas | insulas maris. Item inveniuntur in monte qui dicitur laguarda. quod est super bono | niam. et in ex partia et in monte quod dicitur montbon quod est inter florencem | et bononiam. et in monte habraham quod est super veronam. et in cicilia. | et in apullia. Item invenitur in quodam insula maris ethiopie. qua dicitur | sene et in quodam monte quod est in barbaria.
Item de sole facto[?] huius herbe | fac anulum in quo pone margaritam. et sub illa margarita sit de radice | fu[?] si quis hanc anulum super se portaverit omnes homines et mulieres. et | [...] demones obedient ei. Et si quis demoniacus ad collum suum | habuit liberabitur ademonio et fugient ab eo. et dicet […] | […] sua. Ad partum mulieris. Item si hoc anulum | suspenderis[?] ad coxia mulieris parturientis cito pariet et absque | dolore. Ad caducos. Item si quis caducus in digito suo | […] dextera manus habuit[?] numquam cadet. Quis super se habuit[?] numquam dentes doleb[unt?] | […] tenuerit propter magnum calorem non faciet |[...] caloris quod [...] propter febres in estivo tempore. et si vis omnes demones et homines obedient tibi fac de dicto auro facto de dicta erba fieri anulum in quo ponas unam de margaritis quas tinxisti in qua fac scolpire imaginem bovis que habet caput ad similitudinem piscis et cauda sit sicut cauda pavonis. Deinde cum cera virginea lavetur cum aqua celesti callida et quod decima pars huius aque callide remaneat postea distilletur. Explicit.



Translation:
Trinity College MS O.2.48 Wellcome MS 261
[96v] Enchantment of the Lunatica plant, others call it Borixea, others Borixa, others Bonamitos, | others plant of Constantine, others Lucernalis, because its flowers and the whole plant | shine in the night, and the shepherds , seeing it shine in the night, are almost | afraid, mistaking it for phantoms. This plant is similar to marjoram | whose leaves are of a bluish color, they are similar to the leaves of Viticella. They are round like coins. This plant is born without leaves, From the new | moon to the full moon, it produces a new leaf every day. | [In the?] middle of the Lunar month, it has fifteen leaves. Then, as the moon wanes, it loses a leaf every day, until it is without leaves, thoroughly [97r] denuded. Essay by the most wise Hermes about the tree that is called Borissa i.e. Lunaticawhich has leaves similar to Marjoram, whose leaves, of a blue color, are similar to the leaves of Viticella. Indeed it is born without leaves; from the first Moon to the full Moon, it produces a leaf every day until, at the middle of the Lunar month, it has fourteen leaves. Then, as the Moon wanes, it loses a leaf every day, until it is thoroughly denuded of leaves, as it was procreated.
+ Pick[?] this plant with this prayer[?] | and go to it being clean and neat as […] | Eastward. O Great King Adonay in whom are all powers and | virtues and the medicines of all plants, for all your sacred names, for your glorious | ascension and resurrection, for your very blessed mother | the Virgin Mary, wife of Joseph, I pray you: do not observe | my sins nor my misery, but observe your mercy | and compassion. Give to his plant all virtues and all powers. | Let he who [picks?] this plant benefit[?] of its effective virtue. By you, Lord, ruling for infinite ages, amen. + Here sign it and, after plucking | it, say these sacred names of God: Alpha and Omega, Agla, Octinomos, Tetragrammaton, | Pantoncraton, Emmanuel, Enecphaton + ya vau King [...] and forever […] [?] immortal, immaculate lamb, Sabaoth. Saying these words, kneeling, pluck it with a single strike. Whoever prayed | the plant in this way, will be able to keep it. Because, without this prayer, this | plant will disappear in front of you: even if it was picked, you will lose it, because | it will flee from you. +
Take this plant and extract its juice. Boil mercury | in this juice and a red stone will be produced. Put some of this stone on […] | and the Sun [i.e. gold] will be produced. Put part of this Sun on its body [?Corpus] and the Sun will be produced. | Make powder of the root or stem of this pant, and put one ounce[?] | of this powder on Saturn [i.e. lead] on its body[?] and an excellent Sun will be produced. | Make a powder of this plant, if it is so [dry?] that it has no juice. | Put one ounce[?] of this powder on its body[?] and an excellent Moon [i.e. silver] will be produced. And if you put one ounce[?] of this Moon upon the body[?] of Saturn, the Sun will be produced […] | This plant grows on the mountains and the shores of rivers. […] | [Its?] leaves are round like coins. Its wood is red […] | and its juice similarly. | And its leaves are very similar in color […] | of violets. Its smell is like the smell of musk. […] | [97v] […] put of this Sun on | […] the Sun, of which Sun similarly […] as if you put it on Saturn, | the Sun is produced. Oil iron with the juice of this plant and the Moon will be produced. Take then of this plant and extract its juice in which you will boil mercury, a red stone will be produced. Put of this stone on Cuprum i.e. Copper and gold will be produced by a five percent of it. This plant grows on the shores of rivers and on mountains. Its leaves are round like coins. Its wood is red and its flower is citric [yellow?] with a smell like musk. It has a milk similar to Crocus. Take the water that you extract from this plant by rubbing and compressing ant put it on silver and it will change into excellent gold. Take a part of this [gold] and put it on lead and gold will be produced. Extract juice of this plant by rubbing and oil dry iron, it will become soft. Make powder by filing and put of this powder on Mercury, the Stone will be produced. Take its leaves, dry them and then put them on silver, gold will be produced. If you then put it on Es[?], the Moon will be produced.
Take the powder of this plant or of its root, the weight of one carob, | together with the same quantity of Spica Nardi and aloe wood and myrrh. | If one drinks of it the weight of three carobs for nine days, all the white | and gray hair will fall, and black [hair] will grow. All his body will be transformed almost | in the shape and age of thirty years, and he will have the same strength. During | those nine days, one should have a diet of cow milk, and juice [of …] and almond | milk. During those nine days, one should stay in a dark bedroom [without?] any | daylight. And if you take the weigh of one carob of that powder and mix it with the same weight of Spica Romana and put it into urine and for eight days drink of it daily the weigh of one ounce or carob, all the white hair will fall from your body; in their place, black hair will grow. During those eight days, your diet will be of sweet cow milk: in this way, from old you will become strong and young and, if you want, it wonderfully restores sight to the light of the eyes.
They say this plant was found by the shepherds, | because […] shepherds can tell the phase of the Moon by [observing] this plant. | It grows on great stony mountains, in particular it is found on those mountains | on which rivers flow. Somebody found it in some islands | of the sea. It is found on the mountain called Laguarda [La Guardia?], which is above Bologna, | and in the surrounding areas, and on the mountain called Montbon, which is between Florence and Bologna, and on the Habraham mountain, which is above Verona, and in Sicily, | and in Apulia. It is also found in some island in the Sea of Ethiopia and on some mountain in Barbaria.
Of the Sun [i.e. gold] made with this plant | make a ring in which you shall put a pearl, and under that pearl a bit of Fu [i.e. Valerian] root. | If one wears that ring upon himself, all men and women and | devils will obey him. And if one was possessed by the devil and had | [this ring] at his neck, he will be freed and the devils will flee from him. […] | For women giving childbirth: if this ring | is hanged to the tights of a woman giving birth, the childbirth will be fast and without | pain. For the epileptics: if one was epileptic and had it at his finger | […] of the right hand, he will never fall. If one has it upon himself, his teeth will never ache. | […] because of the great heat […] | because of fevers during summertime. And if you want that all devils and men obey you, have a ring made of the said gold of the said plant in which you will put one of the pearls that you imbued. Have the image of an ox with a head like a fish and a tail like the tail of a peacock engraved on it. Then it should be washed with virgin wax and hot rain water: a tenth of the remaining rain water should be distilled. The end.

Monday 15 May 2017

Brescia Ms B.V.24 – Herba Caspitres

Brescia, Biblioteca Queriniana, Ms B.V.24 is a XV Century manuscript written in North-Western Italy. Two pages from the manuscript have been published in “Di Sana Pianta”, Modena, 1988.

This page contains four plants from the “Alchemical Herbal”: Caspitres (#66, Caspetres, in the list published by Segre Rutz - “Il Giardino Magico degli Alchimisti”), Arteticha Montana (#51 Artetica montaria), Lucia Minore (#47 Herba Bazea minor et de nouem una), Oculus Domini (#54).

I present the description of the first plant, which, together with a medical use, includes an interesting magical application.

Link to larger image


Transcription: De lerba Caspitres | L'Erba caspitres achi non po fa ventosita di sotto. To questa | erba dagene beuere /o/ manzare. Subito petezara /e/ non fara | may altro che petezare fin che non sia fora la uentositade. | E se tu uo andare inuisibile. To questa erba pontela in bocha /e/ tene | schiusa la bocha non ha persona che te possa videre. / nasse alamarina. /

Translation: About the Caspitres plant | The Caspitres plant for who cannot make wind from below. Take this | plant and give it to drink or eat: he will immediately fart and he will do nothing | but fart until all windiness is out. | And if you want to go around invisible, take this plant and put it in your mouth and keep | your mouth open: nobody will be able to see you. It grows near the sea.

Saturday 6 May 2017

Trinity College MS O.2.48 – Barthifos

Cambridge, Trinity College MS O.2.48 is a late XIV Century herbal which is thought to have been written in Germany. Rene Zandbergen has linked the digital scans on the Voynich.ninja forum.

The text about Herba Barthifos or Barthifas (f94v) is partly lost because the outer margin of the folio is worn.



Transcription: Nomen herbe barthifas. greci dicunt sc[r]onos. | ebrayci landufius vocant. tartari vocant | eam columbanes. herba ista [?] in india nascens | folia huius formata ut manus unam | […] huius in qua sunt folia ab utraque parte | […] cum floribus purpureis semen simile | […]. odorem bonum habens et suave | […] sicata et in pulvere reddata et | […] cum vino allio | […] vini bibita per xv dies. | […] sanat [?] efficacissime. semen huius herbe | […] multa ciatos duos et semen a is | […] potiu jeiuno per ix dies ydropices | […] sanat. flos eius si a mulier | […] vino mero statim menstrum imperat. | Lege eam mense augusti. | Nomen herbe | barthifos | ii [sunt?] species

Translation: The name of the plant is Barthifas, the Greek call it Scronos, | the Hebrew call it Landufius, the Tartar call | it Columbanes. This [?] plant grows in India. | Its leaves are shaped like hands. | […] with leaves on both sides | […] with purple flowers. Its seed is like | […] It has a good and delicate smell. | […] Dried and reduced into powder and | […] with wine, with garlic [?] | […] drunk with wine for fifteen days | […] is very effective in healing [?]. The seed of this plant | with much […] two ciatos [i.e. three ounces] and the seed [?] | […] drunk without food for nine days heals hydropsy. | […] If a woman [drinks?] its flowers | […] with pure wine, menses are immediately provoked. | Pick it in the month of August. | [To the right ot the illustration:] The name of the plant is Barthifos. | There are two kinds [of this plant].

Trinity College MS O.2.48 – Conoriel

Cambridge, Trinity College MS O.2.48 is a late XIV Century herbal which is thought to have been written in Germany. Rene Zandbergen has linked the digital scans on the Voynich.ninja forum. Herba Conoriel (246r top) looks more similar to Dandelion than the previously discussed Dabelion. The paragraph is also interesting because Latin names for the plant are provided (Oculus Bovis and Lactuca Asinina).

Link to larger image


Transcription: Nomen herbe Conoriel Greci stakis | Ebrayci leueyr. Nascitur montibus calidis | sine stipite crescit. folia similia infoliis | sponse solis. plures uocant eam oculus bovis | vel lactuca asininia. florem facit croceum [?] brevem [?]. | radicem nigrum longam. totam herba lac emitit album. | […] cum aceto […] comesta | ieiuno epar et splen et tota interiora per dies xxx. | omnino sanat. et si totum epar esset putridum. sanaretur | lege eam mense aprilis vel madij

Translation: The name of the plant is Conoriel, Stakis in Greek, | Leueyr in Hebraic. It grows on hot mountains, | without a stem, with leaves similar to the leaves | of Sponsa Christi. Many call it Oculus Bovis | or Lactuca Asinina. It makes a short [?] yellow [?] flower. | The root is black and long. All the plant produces a white milk. | […] Eaten with vinegar, | without food, for thirty days, it entirely heals the liver, the spleen and all entrails. | And if the liver were all rotten, it will be healed. | Pick it in the month of April or May.

Thursday 4 May 2017

Laurenziana Redi 165: erba lapatio

Firenze, Laurenziana ms Redi 165 dates to the first half of the XV Century and was likely produced in Northern Italy. The page presented here discusses Rumex mainly as a cure for skin diseases.

Link to larger image



Transcription: Erba lapatio cioe romite magiore sono ditre romice salvaticha edimesticha cioe romice marina | Et moltane, Nascie in molti luoghi sabinosi terreni Et innorti Et inuie lasua radice colta e pusta | consugna diporco posta adanghuinaie subito macera eapre ongni malore lefoglie colle | barbe cotta innqacqua dorzo data abere ebuona allo chatarro Et ronpe emacera ongni | postrema dipetto ilseme manichato ebuona alluvola acchi discende affalla ritornare insu | o stato e buona adongni malore arrongna eschabia lavandosene colla cocitura dove con | laradisina sua inpero [?] ebuona alebrosi mondare emitichare lepiaghe loro lodotture lapro | va a molte uertu buone provate :---

Translation: Lapathum or Greater Rumex is of three [kinds] i.e. Wild Rumex and Domestic Rumex: Maritime and | Mountain Rumex. It grows in many places, on sandy grounds, in gardens and along the roads. Its root, crushed with | pork fat, placed on the groin, immediately macerates and opens any lesion. Leaves and | roots, cooked with boiled barley, are good to drink to cure phlegm; this also breaks and macerates the | apostemes of the breast. Cooked seeds are good for those whose uvula dropped, making it revert to | its ordinary position. It is good for any disease, scabies and mange, if one washes with water boiled with eggs [?] and its | small roots. Is is also [?] good for leprosy, cleaning and soothing the wounds: the physician tried | this. It has many good and tried virtues :---

Wednesday 3 May 2017

Trinity College MS O.2.48 - Dabelion

Cambridge, Trinity College MS O.2.48 is a late XIV Century herbal which is thought to have been written in Germany. Rene Zandbergen has linked the digital scans on the Voynich.ninja forum. The manuscript is in part an ordinary copy of the collection of texts usually referred to as Pseudo-Apuleius, but a large part of the herbal (from f107r to 250v) presents plants whose names and appearance seem unknown.

A possible exception is the plant illustrated at the bottom of f185v. Unluckily, the right margin of the page is missing and a few words of the text have been lost. As in the case of Herba Romeys, a large part of the text is devoted to describe the properties of a magical stone that can be found inside the root of the plant.


Larger image of the text


Transcription: Nomen herbe Dabelion Greci farney. | [Eb]rayci Surop. Nascitur montibus | […] stipitem huius rubeam rectam. cum Xii. | […] foliis similibus cameleonte agresti. | […] stipitem crocesas rotundis | […] flore facit | […] unum fere smile fragiure sed longiora | […] radice nigram grossam rotundam. in qua radice | invenitur […] lapidem albam grossa fere avellana | [186r] Ille [?] lapidem gestant peryuvat hominem abomni macula oculorum | et abomni veneno et malocibo et ab omnibus face [?] malis | et si quis erit exterminatus. habet hanc lapidem super se | [?] cum uxore poterit nubere. | Simile prestat concordiam inter vir et mulier. | Et si quis portas non sentiet dolorem | renum nec splenis. nec morbum caducus | pacietur. Fructus uno vel herba mixta [?] et cum ysopo […] sumptam | in potu vel cibo et epatem et pulmo | nem yllico sanat. cum aqua | cicorie et boraginis floris et tamarindi bullitur usque ad | tercias et per dies vii sumitur | omnes […] paraliticos sanat. | Lege eam mense augusti.

Translation [with tentative interpolations]: The name of the plant is Dabelion, Farney in Greek, | Surop in Hebraic. It grows on the mountains. | […] Its stem [is] red and straight with twelve [?] | […] with leaves similar to Dipsacus [Cameleonta Agrestis]. | [At the end of the] stem [there are] round yellow [flowers?]. | By [this] flower, it makes | a [fruit] almost similar to a strawberry, but longer. | […] The root is black, large and round. Inside this root, | one finds a […?] big white stone almost as big as a hazelnut. | [186r] Wearing this stone protects a man from eyes spots | and from venom and from bad food and from all kinds [?] of evil. | And if one had been dismissed, if he has this stone upon himself | he will be able to marry the woman. | Similarly, it brings harmony between man and woman. | If one brings it, he will not suffer from pain | at his kidneys or at his spleen. He will not suffer | of epilepsy. A fruit or the plant, mixed [?] with hyssop […] and drunk | or eaten, immediately heals the liver and the lungs. Boiled with an infuse of | chicory and flowers of borage and tamarind until | the third [hour] and taken for seven days, | it heals all […] paralytics. | Pick it in August.


It is tempting to think that the name “Dabelion” might derive, like the English “Dandelion”, from the French “dent de lion”. Apparently, the name didn't apply only to Taraxacum (represented in the two examples below), but also to species with a bulbous root, e.g. Leontodon Bulbosus. But the strawberry-like fruits are really hard to explain.


Monday 1 May 2017

Trinity College MS O.2.48 - Herba Romeys

Cambridge, Trinity College MS O.2.48 is a late XIV Century herbal which is thought to have been written in Germany. Rene Zandbergen has linked the digital scans on the Voynich.ninja forum. 

Herba Romeys (f210v) is obviously similar to Herba Lucia or Lucea de nouem una, #34 in Segre Rutz' list of alchemical plants (“Il Giardino Magico degli Alchimisti”). The text seems to confirm the existence of a relation. The idea of a magical stone (lapis) inside the dragon-like root could also sound alchemical.

Link to larger image


Transcription: Nomen herbe Romeys greci athar Ebrayci | ygyros. Nascitur in montibus indie maioris | et sunt stirpes huius virides rectas. et in qualem | vi folia similia herbe lucie | quem borixea sed quedam non tantum | flores iocundos [?] volis. | et tota herba est amirabilis | pulcritudinis ut fere hec vis | non posset satirari eam videns. | ex sua pulcritudine. semen | grossum in modus fabe album lucidum | Radix […] similis draconis. | In medio huius radice est quamdam lapis | viridis in magnitudine avellae minoris. | Virtus eius est tanta ut si quis gestas numquam in | itinere fatigabitur. non ab aliqu poterit decipi. | non morbum cauducum numquam sentiet. nec mulier pregnans | non fatigabitur in partu nec sanguis ab eo poterit exire. | smiliter contra omnes hostes [?] eris victor in omnibus | similiter in bello non poteris capi nec mori | Et si quod furtus factus fuit | in domo tua. et sub capite in nocte | tenuiris videberis furem in sompnis. | herba non cumstipabitis sumpta in cibis | [...] dolorem renum tollit et cum | drachma i spice nardi cum vino et mellis sumpta per dies v omnes febres | de quamvis origine sint sanat. Nemo posset dire virtutem huius herbe quem cumparit | fere herbe lucie in omnibus. Lege eam omni tempore quia numquam moruit. Herba redelons ut muscus.

Translation: The name of the plant is Romeys, Athar in Greek, Ygyros | in Hebraic. It grows on the mountains of Greater India | and its stems are green and straight. Its leaves | are somehow similar to those of the Lucia plant | or Borixea, but not much. | The flowers are of a beautiful [?] purple. | The whole plant is of a wonderful | beauty, so much so that one almost can | never be satisfied of looking at it because of its beauty. | The seed [fruit?] | is big like a broad bean, white and shiny. | The root […] is like a dragon. | In the middle of this root there is a green | stone as big as a hazelnut. | Its virtue is such that if one takes it with himself he | will not get tired when traveling; he will not be deceived by anybody; | he will not be affected by epilepsy; a pregnant woman | will not be troubled in childbirth and she will not loose blood during it. | Similarly, [when fighting?] against all enemies you will win them all. | Similarly, in war you will be taken prisoner nor killed. | If there was a theft in your house, and you keep it under your head | at night, you will see the thief in your dreams. | If you eat of the plant with food, you will not be congested. | […] it removes renal pain. | Taking it for five days with a drachma of Lavandula Dentata [Spigum Nardi] and honey heals | all fever whatever its origin. Nobody can tell all the virtues of this plant which is almost identical to | the Lucia plant in all respects. Pick it any time, because it never dies.
[At the right of the illustration:] It smells like musk.

More details about the “Borixea” plant mentioned in the text are provided in this web page by Silvana Ciuonzo of the Naples University: “Capitulum de arbore borissa is a short treatise containing the magical, alchemical and medical explanation of borissa, a plant that belongs to the genre of Lunariae. Although its description seems to correspond to the pictures n. 79 and n. 86 in the manuscript 211 of the Pavia Library, it is probably a mythical herb. Some of its virtues are listed in the De bello iudaico (VII, 180), in Historia animalium, and in the astrological herbarium of Solomon. The borissa is also described in the Hermetic treatises Liber de septem herbis and Liber de virtutibus herbarum decem et novem, attributed to Alexander the Great and Thessalus. The sixteenth-century herbariums of Pietro Antonio Michiel and Conrad Gessner attest the use of this plant in alchemical operations, to fix mercury in silver, the symbol of the Moon.”
The same page provides a list of manuscript containing the essay about Borissa. The alchemical plants 79 and 86 mentioned by Ciuonzo are two types of Lunaria.