EsposiTO — On the " Secrrln of Salerno. ^^ 209 



illu.stialed vveie not foithcoming, or nioie probably because there were similar 

 blanks in the exemplar from which he copied. Each chapter is introduced 

 by a large gold initial, ornamented in blue and red, and each sentence begins 

 with a plain capital, inlaid with a patch of yellow. A single page (f. la) is 

 adorned with a flowery border, ornamented in gold, green, blue, and red. 



There are no marginal notes or entries, and there is nothing in the 

 binding, which is a common modern one, that would give us any clue as to 

 the provenance of the volume. The only indication of this kind that we have 

 been able to discover is the note, " 14 Deer. 42 " (14 December, 1842 ?), 

 written in a modern hand at the foot of f. 202a. Extraordinary as it may 

 appear, the Minutes of the Academy do not contain any record as to how or 

 when this remarkable MS. was acquired. 



The following extracts will sei've to give a general idea of the nature of 

 the treatise contained in this Jis., which is of interest and importance not 

 only to students of the history of Materia Medica, but also to those of French 

 Lexicography.^ 



There is no heading or title to the work, which commences on f. la with 

 a short introduction : — 



En ceste presente besongne est nostre propos et intencion de traicter des 

 simples medecines,^ et pour ce qu'elle est telle comme nature la produite est 

 appellee la medecine simple, comme girofle et noix muguete; ou iasoit ce 

 qu'elle soit preparee par artifice touteffoiz elle n'est point meslee auec aultre 

 medicine si comme les tamarins lesquielz par artifice sout cassez, et en sont 

 les escorchez ostees. Et aussi I'aloen qui par artifice est fait du ius de une 

 herbe cuit. Mais Ten pourroit faire question assez raisonnable pour quoy 

 Ten trouua les medecines composeez, puisque toute vertu est trouue es 

 compostez est trouuee es simples. Car toute medicine qui est centre la cause 

 de la maladie est pour la superhabundance des humeurs, pour la diminucion 

 d'iceulx ou pour arrester les courans. Ou elle est centre la foiblesse des 

 vertuz par alteracion des qualitez, ou solucion des continuitez . . . 



This introduction ends on f. lb : — et comme on les sophistique, et comme 

 Ten les cognoist, et combien ou les peult garder, et quellez vertuz ilz ont, et 

 comment on les doit administrer. Et sera ce traicte par les lettres de A. b. 

 c. d. e. f. g. et cet. 



' In the following extracts we have reproduced the punctuation and orthography of 

 the MS. as closely as possible. For such forms as yuetle, nest, hii, leibe, loste, Inn, laxUre, 

 diceulx, dune, quil, sen, cest, etc., we have written in accordance with the recognized 

 usage, gii'eUe, n'est, I'en, etc. 



'■* Lower down we tind the spelling medicine. 



It.I.A, PKOC, VOL. XXXV, SECT. C. [28] 



