Chapter LXV: Appendix: I

MANUSCRIPTS OF THE LIBER VACCAE

The three first MSS in the list are those which I have used. Steinschneider (1906), p. 43, listed four MSS: Digby 71, Corpus Christi 125 and 132, and Montpellier 277. The three which I examined were wretchedly written and full of abbreviations.

Arundel 342, 14th century, Italian hand, fols. 46r-54v.
The _Titulus_ is “Incipit liber institutionum activorum
(_sic_) Platonis in quo Humayn filius Zacarie sic loquitur
dicens.” The _Incipit_ is “Galienus cum praeparavit ut
abreviaret librum Platonis physici, qui nominatus est
liber anguemis.” The _Explicit_ is “Expletus est liber
aggregationum Anguemis Platonis cum expositione Humayn
filii Ysaach gratia Dei.”

Digby 71, 14-16th century, fols. 36r-56, Liber Vaccae,
precepta et experimenta alchemica et magica, praemisso
prologo (ut videtur) longo. Incipit prologus, “Conferat
tibi Deus mores nobiles.” Incipit liber (fol. 40v)
“Galienus cum propter amatum voluit abbreviares (_sic_)
librum Platonis philosophi qui nominatus est liber
anequems.” Ad calcem (fol. 56) “Completur liber anequems
Platonis id est liber vacce.”

Corpus Christi 125, 13-15th century, fols. 121v-141r
(141-60, according to the system of numbering which I have
followed in the foot-notes of the preceding chapter).
This MS repeats the first prologue, found in Digby 71 but
missing in Arundel 342. It ends, “Completus est liber
Anaguenis, id est, liber vaccae.”

Corpus Christi 132, 15th century, fols. 139-66, has the same
title and opening as the preceding.

CLM 22292, 12-13th century, fol. 68, Epistola de medicina,
opening, “Conferat tibi deus mores,” and ending, “Explicit
epistola Ameti” (a name which usually means the astrologer
Alfraganus); fol. 70, Prologus in librum Anguemis, of
which the text does not seem to follow, since at fol.
72 comes a commentary on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates.
In this early MS therefore we seem to have only the two
prologues.

Amplon. Quarto 188, written in 1267 A. D., 1319, and
later, fols. 103-4, Liber vacce seu liber aggregacionis
diversorum philosophorum, opening, “Primor queritur
quare risus magis sequitur titillacionem,” and closing,
“significet fleubotomia predominari et odor debet et
etiam.” From its brevity and opening and closing words
this would seem to be only a fragment of our treatise.
Schum states that it was originally followed in the MS by
another treatise on nigromancy, since torn out, and that
in the sixteenth century the two works were given the
common title, “Liber vacce nigromanticus.” But perhaps it
is only a part of the _Liber Vacce_ that has been torn out.

Florence II-iii-214, 15th century, fol. 57-, “Liber
institutionum activarum Platonis in quo Hunayn filius
Ysac sic loquitur;” fols. 59-72, “Inquit Hunayn, Galenus
dixit ... / ... completus est liber agregationis aneguemis
maioris et minoris Platonis cum expositione Unayn filii
Ysac et declaratione Galieni.”

The treatise was once found in the library of St.
Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury, 1275, vacca platonis.

Among MSS which T. Allen had in 1622 but which are no longer
in the Digby collection was, in 16mo, Liber Anequems
Platonis, id est, Liber vaccae.