de cantimpro', Thomas

De rerum natura. Written in a neat book hand, probably French, in double columns, 40 lines to a column. Large ornamental initial S in blue and red at the beginning of the text: other capitals in alternate blue and red, with marginal decorations: chapter headings in red. Fol. 1v, col. 1 De regione roris/... 4, col. 3 Notabilia de anima. volxviii. 5, col. 1 (Text begins) In nomine domini. Amen. (red).//Sermo generalis/de. vii. regionibus./Et primo decendum/est de vii. regioni/bus aeris... 81v ...Et unde/angeli minstraturi sunt ei, inde dia/boli officiunt ei.///Expliciunt tractatus de anima cum ce//teris Aliis. On the recto of the first leaf, written in a 15th century hand, 'Historia naturalis innominati Authoris latini'.

Mid 14th Century

1 volume 81 ll. folio. 24 x 19 cm. On vellum. 18th century calf gilt binding, slightly damaged Margins cropped in binding.

Purchased at Sotheby's (phillippos Sale) 15/6/1908, Lot 38.

The MS. is a shortened version of Thomas de Cantimprés encyclopaedic work, with the omission of most of the sections on generation, monsters, obsterics, and medicine. An account of the Author, his work, and the MSS. is given by Thorndike History of Magic and experimental science, Vol. 11, Chapter LIII.

Phillippos MS. No. 24576 with his Library stamp on the first fly-leaf.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).