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A critical edition of the Anglo-Saxon Lacnunga in BL MS Harley 585.

Pettit, Edward Thomas

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Edward Thomas Pettit

Q1.0 Cl'ik-LISH
A CRITICAL EDITION OF THE AMUO4RANON LACNUNGA IN BL
MS HARLEY 585
Submitted for th e d egree of PhD

King's College London

1996

L
\UNI Y ,

2
ABSTRACT
The Anglo-Saxon Lacnunga ("Remedies") is a miscellaneous collection of almost two
hundred herbal remedies, charms, and prayers surviving on folios 130-193r of the
eleventh-century manuscript BL Harley 585. It is written mainly in Old English and Latin,
and includes a text of the seventh-century Irish Latin Lorica of Laidcenn with an Old
English interlinear gloss. There are also brief passages of corrupted Irish, Greek, and
Hebrew.
The thesis comprises:
1. Introduction. A description of the codicology and palaeography of the manuscript; a survey
of previous scholarship, and a re-examination of the collection's character and place within
the Old English magico-medical corpus; an examination of the Old English language of
Lacnunga with emphasis on the non-West Saxon and early forms which may suggest an
Anglian origin and earlier date for parts of the collection; a summary of the Anglo-Saxon
manuscripts and texts in which variant versions of entries may be found, and of those texts
which constitute sources. A collation table facilitates reference to the different sectional
numbering of previous editions ; another table lists the headings of individual entries.
2 . An edited text based on a fresh transcript of the manuscript . Many improvements have
been made upon the readings of earlier editions; most notable is the discovery that an entry
beginning Deo cell regi regunr is a poem, the original form of which can be reconstructed
with the aid of another manuscript. The textual apparatus includes the differing readings of
previous editors .
3 . Commentary on individual entries : source and analogous texts; reconstruction of lost and
damaged passages; discussion of localized points of interpretative difficulty or interest ;
separate surveys of previous scholarship for the metrical charms , together with analysis of
their metre; consideration of the medicinal efficacy of some remedies .
4 . Glossaries of Old English and Old Irish words.
5 . Bibliography.

CO NTENTS

VOLUME ONE
TITLE PAGE

ABSTRACT

SIGNS AND ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION :
14

Description of the Manuscript

Variant Versions, Sources and Analogues :
Anglo-Saxon Variant Versions

37

Vernacular Sources

46

Latin Sources and Analogues

49

Table of Extant Anglo-Saxon Variant Versions of Entries In Lacnunga

52

The Old English Language of Lacnunga

60

Survey of Contents

113

Survey of Previous Scholarship

123

Reassessment of Lacnunga

138

Collation Table Of Previous Editions

150

Table of Entry Headings

160

Editorial Procedure

170

TEXT OF LA CNUNGA

172

VOLUME TWO
2 58

COMMENTARY

VOLUME THREE
OLD ENGLISH GLOSSARY

828

SELECT LIST OF OLD IRISH WORDS

921

LIST OF OLD ENGLISH PLANT NAMES (AND PLANT PRODUCTS)

923

IN LACNUNGA
BIBLIOGRAPHY

926

SIGNS AND ABBREVIATIONS

[For grammatical abbreviations see the prefatory material to the Glossary]

Signs:
*

Denotes hypothetical or reconstructed forms

Denotes OE metrical types not found among Bliss's [1958] classifications

based on the OE poem Beowulf

In the text of Lacn. this marks folio divisions

Indicates the mid-line caesura in passages of OE verse

II

Indicates the end of a metrical line in passages of OE verse

<

Develops from, changes from

>

Develops to, changes to

Common Abbreviations:
Bk

book

BL

British Library (London)

CCCC

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

chap.

chapter( s)

col .

column

cons.

consonant

corr.

corrected

ed.

edited (by) , edition

e. s.

extra series

fig ,

figure(s)

fol .

folio

1., 11 .

line, lines

lit.

literal ( ly)

n.

note(s)

n . d.

no date

n . pl .

no place

om .

omitted by (in Textual Apparatus)

O. S.

original series

P, PP

page, pages

pl .

plate(s)

repr.

reprint

rev.

revised, revised by

S. S.

supplementary series

St.

stanza(s)

trans.

translated by

Univ.

University

unpubl

unpublished

vol(s).

volume(s) .

Linguistic Abbreviations:
EWS

Early West Saxon

Gmc .

Germanic

Goth

Gothic

Lat

Latin

LWS

Late West Saxon

ME

Middle English

MHG

Middle High German

Mir

Middle Irish

MLG

Middle Low German

non-WS

non-West Saxon

North.

Northumbrian

OE

Old English

OHG

Old High German

Olcel

Old Icelandic

OIr

Old Irish

OSax

Old Saxon

WS

West Saxon

Abbreviated References:
AEW

F.

Holthausen, Altenglisches etymologisches

Worterbuch .

Germanische

Bibliothek 4. Reihe: Worterbucher. Siebter Band. 1934 (Heidelberg)

Archiv

Archiv .JJir das Stadium der neueren Sprachen and Literatures

Arv

Arv. Tidskrift ,Jar Nordisk Folkminnesforsknrng

ASE

Anglo-Saxon England

ASMMFI

Philip Pulsiano, A. N. Doane, and Ronald E. Buckalew (ed.) Anglo-Saxon

Manuscripts in Microfiche Facsimile . Vol . 1 . Medieval & Renaissance Texts
& Studies 136. 1994 (Binghampton)

ASPR

The Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records : A Collective Edition (ASPR 6 = vol . VI,

Elliott van Kirk Dobbie (ed.) The Anglo-Saxon Minor Poems. 1942 (New York

& London))
Bierbl

Peter Bierbaumer, Der botanische Wortschatz des Altenglischen. 1. Teil: Das

Lceceboc. Grazer Beitrage zur Englischen Philologie Band 1. 1975 (Bern &
Frankfurt am Main)

Bierb2

Peter Bierbaumer, Der botanische Wortschatz des Altenglischen. 2. Ted:

Lacnunga, Herbarium Apuleii, Pen Didaxeon. Grazer Beitrage zur Englischen
Philologie Band 2. 1976 (Bern & Frankfurt am Main)

Bierb3

Peter Bierbaumer, Der botanische Wortschatz des Altenglischen. 3. Ted: Der

botanische

Wortschatz

in

altenglischen

Glosses.

Grazer Beitrage zur

Englischen Philologie Band 3. 1979 (Frankfurt am Main, Bern, Las Vegas)

BLch

Bald's Leechbook (Unless otherwise stated references are to the ed of C (vol.

II, pp. 1-299); note that I distinguish BLch from the so-called "Third
Leechbook" (LchBk3))

Bliss

A. J. Bliss, The Metre ofBeowulf. 1958 (Oxford)

BT

Joseph Bosworth, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Based on the Manuscript

Collections of the Late Joseph Bosworth ed. & enlarged by T. Northcote Toller
1898 repr. 1989 (Oxford)

BTC

Alistair Campbell, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Based on the Manuscript

Collections of Joseph Bosworth : Enlarged Addenda and Corrigenda to the
Supplement. 1972 repr. 1973 (Oxford)

BTS

T. Northcote Tolley, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Based on the Manuscript

Collections ofJoseph Bosworth : Supplement. 1 92 1 repr. 1 9 73 (Oxford)

Rev. Oswald Cockayne (ed.) Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft ofEarly

England. Being a Collection of Documents For the Most Part Never Before
Printed, Illustrating the History ofScience in this Country Before the Norman
Conquest, 3 vols. Rolls Series. 1864-6 (London) [Unless otherwise indicated
(by vol . I, or II) the reference is to the text and translation of the Lacnunga in
vol . III (pp. 1-80) . Quotations from all three volumes are often silently
repunctuated]

Cambr. MS

The Lat. text of, and OE gloss to, the Lorica of Laidcenn in Cambridge,
University Library MS Ll . 1 . 10 (cited from the ed of L (pp. 175-239)) . This
MS is commonly known as the Book ofCerne.

Campbell

A Campbell , Old English Grammar. 1959 repr. 1991 (Oxford)

CCSL

Corpus Christianorum Series Latina.

CH

J. R Clark-Hall, A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (with Supplement by

Herbert D. Meritt) . 4th ed. Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching 14 . 1960
repr. 1991 (Toronto)

CSASE

Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England

CV

Richard Cleasby and Gudbrand Vigfusson, An Icelandic English Dictionary,

2nd ed. with Supplement by Sir William A Craigie. 1957 repr. 1986 (Oxford)

DIL

Dictionary of the Irish Language based mainly on Old and Middle Irish
Materials. Compact ed 1983, repr. 1990 (Dublin)

DML

Marcellus of Bordeaux, De Medicamentis Liber ed. Max Niedermann,

Marcellus Ober Heilmi ttel. Zweite Anflage besorgt von Eduard Liechtenhan
ubersetzt von Jutta Kollesch and Diethard Nickel . 2 vols . Corpus Medicorum
Latinorum 5. 1968 (Berlin).

DOE

Antonette diPaolo Healey (et al.), Dictionary of Old English [Fascicles A, fE,
B, Beon, C, D], 1986-94 (Toronto)

EDD

Joseph Wright (ed.) The English Dialect Dictionary, being the complete
vocabulary of all dialect words still in use, or known to have been in use
during the last two hundred years. 6 vols. 1898-1905 (London)

EEMF

Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile

ERE

James Hastings (ed.) Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. 13 vols. 1908-26

(Edinburgh & New York)

ES

English Studies

ESM

Englische Studien

FFC

Folklore Fellows Communications

Felix Grendon "The Anglo-Saxon Charms". The Journal ofAmerican Folklore

22 (1909), pp. 105-237

Gr

J. H. G. Grattan, "Three Anglo-Saxon Charms from the "Lacnunga"". MLR 22

(1927), pp. 1 -6

Grieve

Mrs M. Grieve A Modern Herbal: The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and

Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folklore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi,
Shrubs and Trees with all their Modern Scientific Uses. Rev. ed. 1973 repr.

1992 (London)
GS

J. H. G. Grattan and Charles Singer (ed.) Anglo-Saxon Magic and Medicine

Illustrated Specially from the Semi-Pagan Text "Lacnunga". Publications of
the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, new series 3. 1952 (London)

HBS

Henry Bradshaw Society

Herren

Text of, and Commentary upon, the Lorica ofLaidcenn in Michael W. Herren
(ed) The Hisperica Famina: II. Related Poems: A Critical Edition with

10

English Translation and Philological Commentary. Pontifical Institute of

Mediaeval Studies : Studies and Texts 85 . 1987 (Toronto)
Hogg

Richard M. Hogg, A Grammar of Old English : Volume 1 : Phonology. 1992

(Oxford & Cambridge Mass . )

HWDA

H. Bechtold-Staubli and E. von Hoffmann-Krayer (ed. ) Handworterbuch des

deutschen Aberglaubens. 10 vols. 1927-42 (Berlin & Leipzig)

JEGP

Journal ofEnglish and Germanic Philology

Ker

N . R. Ker, Catalogue ofManuscripts Containing Anglo-Saxon. Re-issue 1990

(includes

"A

Supplement

to

Catalogue

of Manuscripts

Containing

Anglo-Sazon" reprinted from Anglo-Saxon England 5 (1977), pp. 121-31)

(Oxford & New York)

KLYM

Kulturhistorisk

Leksikon for

Nordisk

Middelalder fra

Vrkingetid

til

Reformationstid. 22 vols . (Kobenhavn)

Gunther Leonhardi's ed and notes to Lacnunga and Die Lorica des Gildas
(i . e .

LL)

in

Kleinere

angelsachsische

Denkmaler

(Bibliothek

der

angelskchsischen Prosa 6) . 1905 (Hamburg) .

Lace

The Anglo-Saxon Lacnunga in BL MS Harley 585 [Unless otherwise stated

the reference is to my edition]

LchBk3

The OE Third Leechbook [Reference is to the ed of C (vol. II, pp. 300-60)]

Ld

Variant version of Lacn. ll. 1040-61 in Leningrad, Imperial Library Codex

Q.v. I . no. 20 fol . 13v (ed. Staerk [1910 vol . I: 55-6]) .

LL.

The Lorica of Laidcenn (formerly often known as the Lorica of Gildas)

[Unless otherwise indicated reference is to my ed. - Lacn . Entry LXV]

LS

Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary. 1879 (impression of

1993) (Oxford)

MfE

Medium fE'vum

MED

fiddle English Dictionary. 1956- (Michigan)

MedPlin

All Onnerfors (ed. ) Plinii Secvndi Ivnroris Qui Fervntvr De Medicina Libri
Tres. Corpus Medicorum Latinonim 3 . 1964 (Berlin)

11

MLN

Modern Language Notes

MLR

Modern Language Review

N&Q

Notes and Queries

NH

H. Rackham, W. H. S. Jones and D. E. Eichholz (ed) Pliny: Natural History

with an English translation . 10 vols. Loeb Classical Library. 1947-63
(Cambridge, Mass. & London) .

NM

Neuphilologische Mitteilungen

ODES

C. T. Onions, with the assistance of G. W. S. Friedrichsen and R W.

Burchfield (ed.) The Oxford Dictionary ofEnglish Etymology. 1966 repr. 1995

(Oxford)
OED

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1991 (Oxford)

OEHerb

Old English Herbarium [Unless otherwise stated reference is to Hubert Jan de

Vriend (ed.), The Old English Herbarium and Medicina de Quadrupedibus.
EETS o. s. 286 . 1984 (London))

OEMdQ

Old English Medicina de Quadrupedibus [Unless otherwise stated reference is

to Hubert Jan de Wend (ed), The Old English Herbarium and Medicina de
Quadrupedibus. EETS o.s. 286. 1984 (London)]

OEN

Old English Newsletter

OES

Bruce Mitchell, Old English Syntax. 2 vols. 1985, con, repr. 1987 (Oxford)

PBA

Proceedings ofthe British Academy

PD

Per! Didaxeon. [Unless otherwise stated reference is to the ed of Marc

L,bweneck, Per! Didaxeon, Eine Sammlung von Rezepten in englischer
Sprache aus dem 11.112. Jahrhundert. Erlanger Beitr'age zur englischen
Philologie and vergleichenden Litteraturgeschichte 12. 1896 (Erlangen)]

PG

J. P. Migne (ed.) Patrologia tarsus completus ... series graeca. 161 vols.
1857-91 (Paris)

PhysPlinB

All Onnerfors (ed.) Physics Plinii Bambergensis (Cod. Bamb. med. 2, fol.
93v-232r). 1975 (Hildesheim)

12

PhysPlinFP1 Joachim Winkler (ed.) Physicae Quae Fertur Plinii Florentino-Pragensis

Liber Primus. Lateinische Sprache and Literatur des Mittelalters 17. 1984
(Frankfurt am Main)
PhysPlinFP3 Gunter Schmitz (ed) Physicae Quae Fertur Plinii Florentino-Pragensis Liber
Tertius. Lateinische Sprache and Literatur des Mittelalters 24 . 1988 (Frankfurt
am Main) .
PL

J. P. Mi gne (ed. ) Patrologiae curses completes ...

series Latina. 221 vols.

1878-90 (Paris)
PMLA

Publications ofthe Modern Language Association ofAmerica

PRSM

Proceedings ofthe Royal Society ofMedicine

RES

The Review ofEnglish Studies

RSC

The Ramsey Scientific Compendium (Reference is to the partial ed. of Charles

Singer "A Review of the Medical Literature of the Dark Ages, with a New
Text of about 1100" . PRSM 10(2) (Section of the History of Medicine) , 1917,

pp. 107-160)
S

G. Storms (ed.) Anglo-Saxon Magic. 1948 (The Hague)

SASLC

Frederick M. Biggs, Thomas D. Hill, and Paul E. Szarmach (ed.) Sources of

Anglo-Saxon Literary Culture: A Trial Version. Medieval and Renaissance
Texts & Studies 74. 1990 (New York)

SB

Karl Brunner, Altenglische Grammatik nach der Angelsuchsischen Grammatik

von Eduard Sievers. 1942

StratBrad

Henry Bradley (ed.) A Middle-English Dictionary containing words used by

English writers from the twelfth to the fifteenth century by Francis Henry

Stratmann. 1891 , 15th impression 1994 (Oxford)

TOE

Jane Roberts, and Christian Kay, with Lynne Grundy, A Thesaurus of Old
English. 2 vols. King's College London Medieval Studies 11. 1995 (London)

Wren

R C. Wren, Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations

(rewritten by Elizabeth M. Williamson and Fred J. Evans) . Rev. ed 1988
(Saffron Walden)

13

Wii

Richard P. Wiilker's ed. of Lacn . Entries LXXVI, LXXXVI, CXXVIIa + b,

CXLIX, and CLXI-CLXIII (i.e. the metrical charms) in C. W. M. Grein (ed.)
Bibliothek der Angelsachsischen Poesie vol. I Das Beowulfslied, nebst den
kleineren Epischen, Lyrischen, Didaktischen and geschichtlichen Stiicken
(section 12 "Zauberspruche/Zaubersegen") 1883 (Kassel)

WW

Thomas Wright and Richard Paul Wiilcker (ed.), Anglo-Saxon and

Old-English Vocabularies. 2 vols. 2nd ed. 1883, 1884 (London)

14

INTRODUCTION

DESCRIPTI ON OF THE MANUSCRIPT'

The Anglo-Saxon collection of remedies, charms, and prayers known as the Lacnunga
("Remedies")' survives in one MS only: BL MS Harley 585. This is a small codex now bound
tightly front and back in modern red covers with the words ANGLO-SAXON CHARMS
AND RECEIPTS in gold lettering on the spine, and the heraldic arms of Robert Harley on
front and back covers'. The MS comprises 193 parchment leaves on which the Anglo-Saxon
texts are written, with two parchment flyleaves numbered 1* and 2* now bound with the
final quire at the end'. The first ten or twelve leaves of the MS are apparently missing,
probably having been lost after the thirteenth century, and the text of OEHerb therefore
begins mid-remedy, towards the end of chapter four, with the words genim 8a ylcan wyrte.
One folio is missing after fol. 129 (part of the contents to OEHerb), and it is likely that one
' The m anuscript has been described severa l times before, most notably by Wanl ey [1 70 5 : 3 0 4-5] (inaccurate in
pla ces Ker [1 9 57 : no. 231] , and de Vriaid [1 972, 1 9 84]; also by GS (pp. 2 06-9 , th ough this is m acau atel Beccari a
[195 6: 249 - 5 0 ] and Stuart [ 1974 : 2 6 8-741 (with description of script - not entirely ac curate). For the details of the
contents of foli os 1 - 129v I am indebted prin cipally to de Vriend's edition s ofOEHerb and MdQ.
Th e microfich e facsimi le of Harley 585 in ASW-fF] is sooompanied by a description of the MS (pp . 2 6-3 6) which,
a lth ough it makes a few useful observati ons, is careless and ill-informed. I note the following errors (line and entry
numbers here are to my edition, not to GS's as in ASMA1F1): (p. 2 6) misreading of former mark on fol. 1' as "40. D
35 53 5 (should read 40. D 3 5 . 5 85 .); misrea din g of the writin g on th e piece of parchment pasted onto fol. is as Decoctio
beru le (est) suaur t laxa t. and in correct description of this script as "irregular (l ate l lc?) Caroline minuscule"; (p. 2 7)
misreadin g of writing at the bo ttom of fol. 15 Iv as Wirche m an gardclife on mid; (p. 28 ) untenable assertion that there is
n o omission of read after fol. 188v - seadda on resters oddest 11 gepicge (so misread) cannot, and given the vari ant
version in BLch (see C ommentary to Entry CL.^ demonstrably does not, mean "boil in water until (you) consume
( it)"; (p. 3 0) muddled h eadin g Sealf wid fleogendu m attre and wid done I blede nde fit (= Entries XVIII and XIS{{);
omission of headin g to Entry }C}ttTV; (p . 30 ) erron eous statement that folios 13 6v/7- 13 7r/ 1 0 (= Entries XXVI and XXVII)
constitute three "chamLS a ga inst acci dental in gestion of w orms or po ison" - th e words Gonom il orgomil marbu m il
(misread Honom il orgo m il marbu m io are not a separate di ami, and the remedy (not charm) against in gestion of poison is
the n ext one (Entry XXVIII - wh ich is omitted !); (p. 31 ) erron eous statement that a remedy begins with betonican godne
dcE4 and omission of h eading to Entry LIX; fail ure (al beit fo llowing GS) to distin gu ish Lace. ll. 282-4 as a prayer in its
own rift; mi sreadin g of tacentab u s for racentib u s, (p. 32 ) misreading of dor for deor, possible omissi on of 7 before
Wyrc Panne godne cUdan; very questi onable assertion (particularly given parallels at this point with BLch) that following
th e h eadin g Her syndon kacedomas wid c8kes cynnes om u m 7 onfeallum [7] b ancopum eah ta 7 iwentige (11 . 660- 1 )
th ere is a "suite ... of 32 it ems", continuing "to the bottom of 172v"; (p. 33 ) misreadin g of sceap for sceapa; arbitrary
asserti on that Entry C X){XVII is a "Nonsense peri apt"; muddl ed heading Wid magan for Wid m agan xyrce; erroneous
statement that th e "work of the first main scribe" finishes at the end of Entry CXLII - this point comes rather after the next
remedy (Entry CXI.III); questionable statement that certain headings are "written by a different but contemporary hand in
s ilver ink" (this seems to be taken from G S (p . 1 82 n . 7)) - the ink in question is, I think, read lead, and might in fad be
written by the same hand; (p. 34 ) misreading of byd for bid; very questionable assertion (following GS) that 1 . 892 is
mispla ced and actually belongs at the st art of Entry CI.XI ; muddl ed treatment of Lace. Entr ies CL.XXIII-CI YXV
(inclu ding omission of the latter); (p . 3 5) misreadin g of Wid h eorte ere (twice) for IL 1 0 15 and 1 0 19 Wd h eortece; very
questi on able assertion that the "l ast four lines" of fol. 191v (Entry CI.}CA'XIII) are "by a still different hand"; unnecessary
emendations rog[o] and 6enedicdon(emJ and [paJtris - the l etters conoem ed can be discern ed in MS .
'Th is title was given to the collection by C in th e first edition of the text in 1 866 - it has no manus cript authority.
For the amps see Davenport [ 1909: 2 03] .
' Th e MS was rebound in 1 98 1 . Prior to this (according to Ker) flyleaves 1* and 2* were bound at the beginning of
the codex, and the bindin g was of nin eteenth -century date.

15
more folio has dropped out of the last quire of the MS after fol. 188 (in Lacn.); however,
there is good reason to think that at least some of text lost here from Lacn. is also to be found
in BLch - see further Commentary to Entry CLXXV. The top third of fol. 193 is missing,
having been torn away at some unknown point before the codex came into the possession of
Humfrey Wanley (1672-1726), and this leaf has since been built up with blank parchment;
fortunately, it is again possible to deduce with a high degree of probability what text has been
lost - see Commentary to Entry CLXXXVIII.

Contents of Manuscript
1 . Folios lr-101v : an incomplete text of the OE translation of the enlarged Herbarium of
Apuleius Platonicuss comprising :
i . The Herbarium of Apuleius Platonicus (fol . lr 1 . 1 genim da ylcan wyrte - fol . 66v 1 .
10 ealle yfelu heo ut anyde6) - also now sometimes known as the Herbarium of
Pseudo-Apuleius .
NI

ii . The Liber medicine ex herbis feminis (fol . 66v 1. 11 Leos wyrt de man lichanis
stcejanice - lOly 1 . 14 hyt astyred done innod) .

2 . Folios 10ly-114v : an incomplete version of the OE Medicina de Quadrupedibusb

comprising :
i . De taxone fiber (fol . lOly 1 . 15 her SAGAfl DET EGYPTA CYNING -fol. 104v 1. 11
sons he bid gebeted) .
ii . A treatise on the healing powers of the mulberry (fol . 104v 1 . 11 Wid blodes flewsan fol. 106v 1. 6 Dionne bid heo geclcensoa).
iii . Part of the short or A-version of the Liber medicine ex animalibus of Sextus Placitus
(fol . 106v 1 . 6 Wid ncedran slite - 114v 1 . 18 hrade hyt gelacna6) .
3 . Folios 115r Incipiunt capituli libri medicinalis - 129v WiP wunde: an incomplete table
of contents for OEHerb .
4 . Folios 130r 9,7THEAFODWRfECE - 193r 7 garist la teste (this latter being a later
Anglo-Norman remedy), the collection of remedies, prayers and charms collectively known
' ed. de Vriaid [1984].
6 ed. de Wend [1984], and separate from OEHerb by de Wend [1972].

16

as the Anglo-Saxon Lacnunga , including on folios 152r gejultmige seo brinis - 157r 1. 2
regni refrigeria . amen a text of the Lat. Lorica of Laidcenn (LL. ) with an interlinear OE
gloss.
Although the scribe of art. 1 and 2 probably also wrote most of art. 4 (see below) , there
is reason to think that art. 4 may have originally been separate, for art. 3 , which is thought
by all commentators to be in a slightly later hand to art. 1 and 2 and most of art. 4, begins on
leaves that were left blank in the final quire of art. 2 . It may also be noted that, unlike art. 1 ,
2, and 3 , there is no medieval foliation to art. 4, and that it is clear from the coloured
(alternate red and black) capitals at the start of fol . 1 3 0r (the first leaf of a quire) that art. 4 is
an autonomous collection. However, it is noteworthy that a passage in art . 4 (see
Commentary to Lacn. 1. 100 7) is probably (but not certainly since the same passage occurs in
BLch) the source of a later medieval (probably thirteenth-century) annotation to art. 1 on fol.
18r - this suggests that by this time at least art. 4 was bound up, or at least closely associated,
with the preceding texts.

Date of Manuscript
Ker (no. 231) dates the main part of the MS to s. x/xi (a dating confirmed by Julian
Brown - see Herren (p. 4)) , folios 115r-129v (the contents list to OEHerb) to s . xi ', fol. 179 1.
11 - fol . 192 to s. xi ', and the Lat. and Anglo-Norman texts on fol. 193r to s. xii, xii/xiii .'
ASMMFl (p. 26) now asserts that the "date of the manuscript as a whole should probably be
pushed into the first decade of the l lc" , but their stated basis for this belief seems to me
highly uncertaing.
' S ome other dating : Wanley [ 1705 : 3 0 4] " ante 800 ann os" (but h e th inks the contents list is slighter younger); W.
W. Skeet (cited by Payne [1 90 4 : 138 ]) -the MS . seems to be late tenth century, but it is a reminiscence of something
older" ; Wormald [ 1945 : 72] a 1 100 ; GS (p . 2 09) " We may safely treat it as of about the year 1000 " (GS also report Dr.
Robin Flowers dating of " quite early e leventh century"); Wright [1 955: 1 1 ] "about 1 000 " (GS had earlier noted that Dr.
C . E. Wri ght " inclines to the tenth century" ); de Vriend [ 1 972 : xxii; 1 98 4 : xxvi] (m folios 1 - 114) "A date earlier than a
9 7 5 is ... h i ghly improbable "; Stuart [1 974 : 2 69-70 ] dates folios 1 791. 11 - 1 93 as "first half of 12th C. ", but, since sh e
seems to rely on Ker for other dates, this may be a misprint.
' A.SA91-IFI (p. 2 6): " Despite Ker's dating of the two hands, probably no great interval separates them; the chan ge of
h ands on f. 1 79r seems to be a continuati on of the same campa ign of writing following the same exemplar. Perh aps the
first scribe was an older person at the time of w ritin g. Thou gh I cannot rule it out, I see no evidence to suggest that there
is "a continuation of the same campai gn of writing, following the same exemplar" - folios 1 79r 1. 11 to 1 90 do n et
continue to use decorated initi als such as are found in th e precedin g folios, they do not constitute an obvious continuation
from th e preceding remedy Wid do n de wif fcYni nga adum bige (the first remedy following being 9110,beor), and they
conta in a larger number of Lat. charms; furthermore, in comparison with preceding folios, the comparative scarcity of
initi a l 6 and parti cularly of prep . in (as opposed to on ) after this point (see Language sections 1 .1rix and ? . ii) - though this
might simply reflect the pract ice of a different Lacn. scr ibe - at l east lends no support to belief in the use of the same
exemplar.

17

A late tenth- to mid-eleventh- century date accords with the predominately late OE
linguistic features of Lacn .

Provenance and Ownership

The medieval English provenance of Harley 585 is unknown (see Ker p. xliv) . However,
Meaney [1984 : 263 and n. 98] raises the possibility of an origin in a Winchester scriptorium
- like BL MS Royal 12 D xvii (the MS of BLch and LchBk3) and BL MS Cotton Otho B xi
(OE remedies from which are extant in the so-called "Nowell transcript")9.
Annotations to LL. (first noticed by Robin Flower (GS p. 206)) show that the MS was
once used by Archbishop Parker's secretary John Joscelyn (1529-1603). From the words
"Liter Humfredi Wanley" written at the top of the first leaf it is apparent that the MS once
belonged to the Anglo-Saxon scholar, palaeographer and librarian Humfrey Wanley
(1672-1726). Harley 585 was one of the MSS obtained by Wanley from Robert Burscough
(1651-1709), rector of Totnes 10. Subsequently Wanley gave it to Lord Harley. An earlier
owner of the MS may have been one Barbara Crokker, who is identified by Ker as "a Barbara
Crocker of the family of Crocker of Lyneham, near Yealmpton, died in 1655". She wrote the
following rhyming couplets together with her initials and name on leaves 1* and 2*:
By the first letter wraten in this same
You may perseive the writer's Name.

This boucke with letters is wrote

Ofit you Cane no languige make.
A happie end if thou desire to make
Remember still thyn owne esstate.
If thou desire in Christ to die

' Mean ey (n . 9 8):

... it seems to me that th ere is a family liken ess between the script of Harley 58 5, of BL Add. 3465 2, fol. 2 (the
West Saxon Reg n al Lisp originally in Cotton Oth o B . )d), copied at Win chester some time early in the
eleventh century, and some of th e han ds in Cotton Galba A. xiv, which ... was writt en mostly at Nunnaminster
from about 1 000 onwards.
" S ee Wri ght [1 972] under "Burseough al. Boursoough (Robert)"; see also un der "Crokker (Barbara) ", and " Wanley
( IiumfraY)"

Perhaps Harley 5 8 5 is the "Book of Physick but Anonymous" mentioned by Buisoough in a letter to (T)Wanley
which is found in BL MS Harley 3778 fol. I r.

18

Thenn well to lead thy lif applie. "

Barbara also wrote the isolated word you. For two more annotations (on fol. 175r) that
might be in her hand see the list of annotations below.

Measurements
Harley 585 is a compact, handy volume, and might well be, as ASMMFI (p. 26) asserts ,
a "medical vade m ecum" . Measurements (approximate) : overall dimensions of each folio :
190mm x 110mm; written space : 140-150mm x 70-90mm; number of lines to the side:
13-18 (also 23 on fol . 151 only) - see further Pricking and Ruling below.

Quiring
There are twenty-four quires in Harley 585 , but at least one has been lost at the start of
the codex. Quires 17-24 comprise Lacn .
Collation ": 1 ` (half-sheet added after 6 (fol. 7)) (folios 1-9), 2-15g (folios 10-121) , 168+1
(half-sheet added after 2 (fol. 124)), 8 missing after fol. 129 (folios 122-129), 17-188 (folios
130-145), 19" (half-sheet added after 5 (fol. 151)) (folios 146-154), 20" (half-sheet added
after 8 (fol. 163)) (folios 155-163), 21" (half-sheet added after 2 (fol. 166)) (folios 164-172),
22-23$ (folios 173-188), 245 (according to ASMNIFI 5 is a half-sheet) (folios 189-193). At
least one leaf from this last quire is likely to be missing after fol. 188; 1* and 2* (i.e. two
medieval flyleaves now bound up with the final quire; formerly they were at the start of MS).
Ker notes that leaves 3 and 6 in quires 15, 18, and 2 and 7 in quires 14, 15 are half-sheets;
leaves I and 8 in quire 3 also seem to be half-sheets.

Pric king and Rul i ng

There are single prick marks top and bottom for the vertical, and in the outer (never
inner) margin for the horizontal, boundary lines which continue to the edge of the leaf. The
rulings for the lines of writing are contained within the horizontal boundary lines. Prick
" L's (p. 158) transcription ofthese verses is rather inaccurate,
' For previous collations see Ker (p. 3 06) and ASMMFl (p. 2 7).

19

marks for these are mostly lost due to binder's cropping, but are apparent on several leaves in
e . g . quire 20, and particularly quire 16 . The vertical boundary lines are single throughout
with the following exceptions which have double : quire 16 (both inner and outer margins ;
this quire is thought to be written by a later hand) , fol . 151v (the last 12 lines of side (outer
margin only) - reruled (an additional half-sheet)) , fol. 163 (outer margin only it appears ; an
additional half-sheet) , and folios 167- 168 (both inner and outer margins) .
Number of ruled lines : Quires 1-2 (18 lines), 3 (19 lines, except for leaf 8 (fol. 25) which
has 18), 4-11 (18 lines), 12 (17 lines), 13 (18 lines), 14 (17 lines), 15 (18 lines, except for
folios 117-119 which have 23 (and fol. 116 may have only 17)), 16 (24 lines), 17 (17 lines),
18 (16 lines), 19 (17 lines, except for the additional leaf which has 23 (and the bottom third
of the verso has been reruled for 12 lines of text)), 20 (11 lines on folios 155-156, and 15 on
157-158, and 14 on 159-163), 21 (13 lines on folios 164-166, 16 (?15) on 167-170), 22 (14
lines), 23 (13 lines on folios 181-184, and 20 on 185-186), 24 (unclear, but probably 14 on
fol. 189). It is apparent that quires 1-15 (OEHerb and MdQ) are rather more uniformly
prepared in this respect than quires 17-24 (Lacn.).

Foliation and other Numbering

There is no contemporary Anglo-Saxon foliation. There are 5 sets of later foliation at the
top of the leaves (recto) :
i . Medieval (s . xiii?) . Faded red pencil roman numerals XII-XL on folios 2-30. ASMtifFL
(p. 27) sees XI on fol . 1 , but I cannot discern it.
ii . Medieval (subsequent to set i.; s. xiii?) . Black ink roman numerals sometimes written
over set i.: XIII-XIX on folios 1-7 (no such foliation on fol. 8); XX-LXI on folios 9-50 ;
LXIII-LXXV on folios 51 -6 3 ; I.XXV-LX= on folios 64-78 .
iii . Medieval (s . xiii?) . Faded red pencil roman numerals I-XV (but IV on fol. 118 is
extremely faint, if indeed present at all) on folios 115-129 .
iv. Modern. Follows on from set ii. Arabic numerals 90-204 on folios 79-193 (Ker says
the numbers of this set are "13-74, one unnumbered leaf, 75-203" ; ASPR (p. 27) confirms

20

that the "earlier Arabic ink foliation (13-74, 75-203) mentioned by Ker is not visible until f.
79 ("90") and clear thereafter", but does not observe that the final fol. 193 is foliated 204).
v. Modern. Arabic numerals 1-193 + 1* , 2* , + 194 (apparently a paper offset of fol.
191). My edition (in common with previous ones) adopts this foliation.
It is apparent from series i and u that 10 or 12 leaves are missing from the start of the
manuscript .
A letter p is written towards the bottom right-hand corner of fol . 136r (this folio being in
the middle of a quire). Its significance is unclear, but it might be a redundant copy of a quire
or folio letter found in the exemplar".
In the MS the lines of LL. (folios 152r-156v) have been given modem arabic numerals in
the outer margins. According to Dr. Robin Flower (see GS p. 206) these have been added
since Wanley's time; I do not reproduce them in the text.

Scribes and Script

Lat. is only distinguished from OE in terms of script on folios 191-3 , where the Lat. is
written in Caroline minuscule".
The question of the number of scribes responsible for Harley 585 is a difficult one . It has
been considered by a number of scholars, including specialists in medieval palaeography,
who have held different opinions :
i . Dr. C. E. Wright informed GS (p. 208) that it was possible that folios 1-114v were
written by one scribe; I think they were - so does de Vriend (OEHerb p. Zvi), andASAfls,fFI
(p. 27).
ii. GS (p. 208) cite the judgements of Dr. Wright and Dr. Flower who agree with
Wanley's opinion ("manu pauld recentiori" [1705 : 304]) that the table of contents for
OEHerb is in a later hand than that of the rest of the MS. Ker also ascribes these folios to a
later date (s. xi'); so doesASM1WF1 (p. 27).
" See S chaucnan & Cameron [ 1 977 : 3 00-1 ] for the possibility of a folio letter m in th e Omont Fragm ent fo lio letters
are on ly certain ly found in an An glo-S axon MS in the early (Ker s. vi ii/ix) Oxford, Bodl eian Library MS H atton 93
(40 81 )).
"Note, h owever, the followin g isol ated instances of Caroline minuscul e letter forms elsewh ere in Lacn.: -e- in A men
(fol . 15 0v 1 . 2 ), and (very dose to each other) -e- in pe ricu lo (fol . 1 5 1r 1. 6 ) and a- in adiu (also fol . 1 5 1r 1 . 6 ). Th ese
forms mi ght su ggest e ith er that the scri be (or scribes) was at these po ints copyin g from exemp lars written in Caroline
min uscul e, or that h e was more a ccust omed to w rite I,at in C aroline ntinuswl e.

21

iii . Folios 130r-190v (which constitute the bulk of Lacn. ) are, according to the
"considered opinion " of Dr. Robin Flower (GS p. 208), "all by the same hand, but with very
considerable variationsi1 3; this includes the smaller writing on the inserted fol . 151 (a view
which was confirmed by Dr. Wright, and by ASMMFI (p. 2 7); I am less than sure of this) .
Ker gives no indication that more than one scribe was responsible for folios 1 3 0r to 179 1. 10
("a rather rough and debased square Anglo-Saxon minuscule"), but does assert (supported by
Brown [1987: 47]) that the manuscript originally ended at folio 179 1. 10, and that the
following folios are of later date (s . xi ' ) . According to Wright (GS p. 208), the " Carolingian
writing" of folios 191-3 "is certainly not by the scribe of the other part of the MS" ; it may be
added that most of the script on fol . 193 r (Entri es CLXXXVIII and CLXXMX-) is in later
hands (Ker s . xii, xii/xiii) .
I distinguish the following hands in Harley 585 :
i. Folios 1-114v and 130-179r 1. 10 (Comprises OEHerb andMdQ, and most of Lacn. ) .
ii. Folios 115-129 (Contents to OEHerb) .
iii. Folios 131r 1. 5-(?) 132v 1. 1 .
iv. Folios 151r-v (excluding 151v 1. 15) .
v. Folios 179r I . 11-190v.
vi . Fol . 191r-v.
vii . Folios 192r-193r 1. 2 .
viii . Fol . 193r 11. 3-7.
ix. Fol . 193r 11. 8-11 .
Remarks on the main hands in Lacnunga:
Hand i s notes on certain letter forms (examples are taken from Lacn. folios 130r-179r 1.
10) :
a. Ascenders tend to end in serifs or tags to the left at the top, sometimes giving the top
of the letter a slightly forked appearance.
b. a is rounded, often slightly pointed, and usually straight-backed; the vertical never
ascends above the bowl; the stroke forming the bowl does not run through the vertical. In the

" Cf. ASWMFI (p. 2 7): " [T h e] hand varies considerably over th e course of its campa ign but seems to be on ly one" .

22

ligature ea it is often flat-topped. A flat-topped a with a squarer bowl occurs in corrections

from e to a on a few occasions , but beside this the distinctively square a of Anglo-Saxon
square minuscule script is very rare (fol. 146r 1. 7 buteran; fol. 149r 1. 13 delas) . In LL. there
is one instance of an "oc" a in the Lat . text (fol. 156r 1 . 8 adipem), perhaps betraying the
influence of an exemplar.
c. ce : the loop of the e part is higher than the top of the a part, but there is also some
variation the size of the e part. The a part may be round or somewhat pointed, or may be
reduced on occasion and take on a squarer appearance. Separated a e occurs only once in the
OE text (fol. 152r 1. 7 saes (in LL. )) .
d b : the two strokes forming the bowl sometimes fail to merge precisely.
e . c is round
f. d is round-backed, with its extension often being quite short and almost always smaller
than O.
g. e is straight-backed and usually tall, but smaller forms can be found (e. g. fol. 135v 1. 2
setle,. It is tagged to the left near the top, and has a horizontal tongue extending beyond the
bowl of the letter, especially when in final position in a word. This tongue also forms
flat-topped ligatures , e. g. ea, eg. An e with enlarged bowl is found rarely initially (e. g. fol .
131r 1 . 12 eagan , fol . 142v 1. 5 ell) and occasionally medially (e . g. fol. 131r 1 . 11 smero , fol .
148r 1 . 5 i ohannes, fol . 174r 1. 5 men) - often in ligatures - and more often finally and at
line-ends (e . g . fol . 134v 1. 8 come, 1 . 16 maxime, fol . 141r 1 . 10 fultume, fol. 177r 1. 14
-dici te).
h. f descends well below the line. The cross-stroke does not transect the descender. The
top of the letter is forked.
i . yogh is flat-topped, and the tail is not closed
j . h : the second minim does not curl inwards, but descends straight down.
k. i occasionally has an acute top stroke (which L (p. 156) often mistakes for an accent
sign) : solsequium (fol. 133r 1. 15), nim (fol. 142r 1. 1. 1), sidewaran (fol. 142r 1. 2),
lawerb erian (fol . 142r 1 . 2), pipor (fol. 142r 1. 2), nim (fol. 142r 1 . 4), grid (fol. 142r 1 . 5),
mid (fol. 142r 1. 7), niht (fol . 142r 1. 10) , nyttige (fol. 142r 1 . 14) , niht (fol. 142v 1 . 4), tocine

23

(fol . 142v 1 . 5), letanias (fol. 148r 1 . 11) , in (fol. 158v 1 . 13), ui c (fol. 159v 1 . 1), niman (fol .
164r 1. 6) , micclum (fol . 164v 1. 6), bringcadle (fol. 164v 1 . 6), sauinan (fol. 164v 1. 9),
linenum (fol . 166r 1. 8), wi d (fol . 169v 1 . 12), nim (fol. 171v 1 . 12) , insidiis inimici (fol . 175r
1. 2) (lighter strokes here in Lat . ), Domini (fol . 175r 1. 2) (again a lighter stroke here in Lat. ),
fcerstice (fol. 175r 1. 5) . nyttige also has such a stroke above the -y- - this is presumably either
an error or a poorly distinguished accent sign. In most (but not all) of these instances the
stroke doubtless serves to distinguish the i from one or more neighbouring letters that are
also composed of minim strokes (i . e . i, in, n, and u).
1. s: three (or possibly four) forms are found : i. round s is found initially, medially, and
finally; ii. the low form is found initially, medially, and finally. Its fork usually begins
slightly above the line. It is the commonest of the three types; iii. the long form - with tag or
short horizontal line to the left half way up the letter - is common only in the st ligature in
Lacn., but can also be found unligatured initially (e.g. fol. 169r H. 8 and 14 smyre, fol. 137v
1. 10 sester), medially (e.g. fol. 152v 1. 13 wisce, fol. 153v 1. 23 gescyldrum), and finally (e.g.
fol. 151r.1. 18 inuocamus); note, however, that a shorter form, whose tail scarcely descends
below the base-line is also found paticularly in the st ligature (e.g. fol. 174r 1. 5 hatost, fol.
177v 1. 7 duste, fol. 178v 1. 14 duste, fol. 179r 1. 8 duste) - cf. possibly Ker (pp. xxx-x)oci) on
"less usual ... high s". In fol. 152v 1. 11 strengu we may well have a genuine "high s".
m. t a curled up form (cf. Ker p. xmi) is quite often found It occurs in all positions, but
especially finally. Usually, however, t is not curled up, but a round form with a flat top.
n. jb is easily distinguishable from Wynn, having a long vertical ascending well above
and below the bowl. The top of the ascender has a serif. The round bowl occurs half way up
the vertical and inclines slightly upwards. For details of the distribution of jb and d see
Language l.xx.
o. d is usually slightly less rounded than d, and has a longer extension. The cross-stroke
transects the extension one third to one half the way up and is sometimes tagged slightly
downwards at the top. Capital d (i.e. D) is not found in Lacn.
p. Wynn: the bowl is round, never pointed. The vertical curves slightly to the left, the top
being the furthest to the left. It is easily distinguishable from p.

24

q. y is dotted. Two forms are found: i. a straight limbed form is the norm; u. a rounded
form with diverging arms (Ker p. mod type i . "rounded y") is used occasionally (e . g. fol . 134r
1 . 3 begytan , fol . 136v 1. 8 g^f, fol . 142 1. 13 gyd-) .
r. An isolated form in LL. may be noteworthy: fol. 152r 1. 18 et (contrast the form of et
found in fol . 152v 11. 10, 12 etc) might betray the earlier insular script of the exemplar of this
entry.
Hand iii :
The script here suddenly becomes more laterally compressed, the letter-spacing more
uniform, and my general impression is that here the hand is more practised and assured than
on immediately preceding folios. In terms of letter formation a is reasonably distinctive, the
bowl clearly being generally more pointed and the back perhaps more upright than before.
Furthermore, minims are more consistently and markedly given feet, and ascenders are
found often (but not always) with triangular serifs rather than forked tops. However, with the
exception of the general aspect of these folios, these other features of letter formation can all
be found inconsistently, but not infrequently, in subsequent folios which give the impression
of being written by the scribe of folios 130r-131r 1. 4. Hence, although the change in
appearance at 131r 1. 4 is quite striking, it is far from certain that a different scribe is
responsible for this.
Hand iv:
Folios 151r-v, though they seem to be in the same ink as immediately preceding folios,
might conceivably be written by a different scribe. However, Dr. Flower (and Dr. Wright)
assured GS (p. 208) that this was not the case : here in comparison to previous folios the
letters are markedly smaller, more laterally compressed, the minims are more uniformly
upright with feet ticked to the right, and the last letter in each line is often greatly extended.
Although I cannot discern consistent and substantive distinctions in the formation of
individual letters on these folios, the general aspect of the script, combined with the fact that
it is the additional leaf in a quire of 9 , and the difficulties in sense involved i n taking it as a
continuation of the preceding remedy (see Commentary) , raise the possibilty that it bears no
genetic relation to any other part of Lacn.

25

Hand v:
There is certainly a division of some kind at fol. 179r 1. 11: the last four lines of the folio
are slightly more cramped than the preceding ones and therefore may well be an addition.
From this point on the script has a noticeably neater, more uniform, more laterally
compressed, fluent and practised appearance, and there is a more consistent tendency than
before to finish ascenders with either straight line serifs or triangular blocks, the previously
often slightly forked tops of ascenders being largely absent. Furthermore, it is clear that
different (darker) ink was used to write these folios. However, I have found only one
substantive and consistent difference in the formation of a letter form from this point
onwards - the letter x is no longer straight-limbed and quite upright, but rounder and with
the bottom left hand "leg" trailing to the 1eft1 6. Whether this writing is by a different scribe to
that of the immediately preceding folios (so Brown [1987: 47 n. 9]), or simply by the same
scribe (so Meaney [1984: 255]") writing with a different quill and ink at a later date and
perhaps having had further or different instruction, I cannot determine.

Decoration and Illumination

In contrast to the "regally magnificent" (C vol. I, p. lxxv) text of OEHerb and MdQ in
BL MS Cotton Vitellius C iii with its colourful illustrations of plants and animals, Harley
585 has no formal illustrations: evidently Harley 585 was "never intended for display, but for
use" (C vol. I, p. Uaoiv). There are, however, many simple, crude decorated initials, and
some more elaborate, but still crudely drawn, zoomorphic ones. These decorated initials (and
other plain ones) tend to straddle either side of the left ruled boundary line which divides
margin from writing area.
There are nine zoomorphic initials in Harley 585, some in red ink, some in black. Some
of these (unspecified) are classified by Wormald [1945: 72] as decorated initials of Type I
(i.e. initials derived from types found in Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Junius 27 (the Junius
Psalter)), this type being composed of complete creatures, interlace, acanthus, and a modified
16I also n ote that e with en larged bowl is less common (e. g. fol . 1 81 v 1 . 1 1 edificatlo n_e fol . 1 88r 1 . 6 wifinen^ and is
not found at all finally; on ly straight-limberly is found in this part of MS.

" She remarks that these " last remedies are written more neatly and in a darker ink than the preceding ones, but my
own impression is that they were probably written by the same scribe, after a break".

26

use of bird and animal heads. More specifically the creatures "are normally provided with
strong jaws or beaks, the lower one being usually very thin, which grip fiercely the interlace
or the initial itself. Their tails are usually decorated with a bunch of leaves".
All the zoomorphic initials in Harley 585 are in the form of snakes, serpents, or dragons.
They are found on folios 30v, 47v, 66v, 73v, 81r, 11ly, 130r, 150v, and (probably) 174'$.
The following general observations may be made on them:
i. In one instance (fol. llly) a serpent does not attach itself firmly to the main
shaft/upright of the initial. In another four instances one serpent forms the whole initial
(folios 30v, 66v, 73v, and 150v).
ii. There are two instances of initials consisting of two serpents swallowing/biting each
other's tails (folios 81r and 130r).
iii. In only one instance does a creature's tail clearly end in a bunch of acanthus foliage
(fol. 47v). However, perhaps the very rudimentary ornamentation at the base of the initials on
folios 81 r and 174r is a debased reflection of this convention.
iv. There are three initials composed of two serpents each (folios 47v, 81r, and 130r).
v. There are three initials composed either entirely or partly of a winged serpent; these
have their heads towards the base of the letter (folios 73v, 81r, and 130r); these serpents have
no other limbs.
vi. There are three initials composed partly of a limbed (but not winged) serpent; these
have their heads at or towards the top of the letter (folios 47v, 11 lv, and 174r).
vii. There are no instances of initials composed of a serpent with both wings and legs.
viii . Only one serpent has teeth (fol . 47v).
inc. These zoomorphic initials form the letters G, S, P, and "wynn" .
The simple (i .e . not zoomorphic) decorated initials in Harley 585 often seem particularly
crude, and those found in Lacn. are generally simpler than those employed in preceding
folios. Similar patterned types found in both main parts of the MS include decorated vvynns
(compare e. g . fol . Ir 1. 3 with 133v 1 . 10 ; fol . 59r 1. 13 with 173r 11. 1 , 7; fol . 61r U . 4, 13
with 176r 1. 8) and thorns (compare e. g. fol. 73v 1 . 4 with 137r 1. 11).

"I have not considered the initial G on fol . 2r to be zoomotphia

27
There is one instance (fol. 176v 1 . 14) of a decorated initial being left partially
incomplete and subsequently finished with (more accomplished) acanthus work in a finer
and lighter ink. Note also, however, the decorative pen-work added to initial D on fol . 66v 1.
11 .
Three guide letters for simple decorated initials are visible in the margins on folios 177v
and 178r. The first of these three Wynn guide letters is erroneous since a capital G is required
(and is drawn, though perhaps with some alteration from a wynn) . Despite the guide letters
the initials are apparently drawn by the same hand that wrote the text.
There are also a number of simple and apparently contemporary snakes drawn in the MS
near to remedies for snake-bite in OEHerb - folios llv, 17v, 21r, 26v, 30v, 46r, and 48v.
Within the loop of a large capital wynn on fol. 57r (Wid feforgendne - in OEHerb (156/19))
there is a crudely drawn Agnus Dei, one not recorded in Ohlgren's [1986] catalogue of
iconography in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts. Other anatomical drawings (e.g. the marginal foot
on fol. 4r next to a remedy Wi8 jotadle) are of uncertain date19. In the margin next to the OIr
incantation beginning Gonomil orgomil marbumil (in Entry XXVI) on fol. 136v there is a
black ink line profile drawing of a man's head and neck facing the outer margin. The man
has a long, pointed, upward curling beard and may be wearing a hat with baubles at top and
bottom. The picture is drawn with different pen and ink from that of the text and is of
uncertain date. I can only add that if it is an Anglo-Saxon drawing it appears to be unusual.
Since it is placed beside an Irish incantation perhaps it derives from an Irish source. I note
that men's heads appear in profile with long beards curling to a point in the late
eighth-century Irish (or Hiberno-Saxon) Book of Kells (e.g. fol. 200r (reproduced in de
Hamel [1986: 35])).
Occasionally run-ovens at the bottom of leaves are underlined ornamentally with a
simple tendril-like design: folios 136r, 142v, 164r, 174r, and 176r.
There is a foliated design within the text area on fol. 182r (cf. fol. 128v outer margin).
There is a limited use of rubrication in Lacn. (indicated by bold type in the edited text).
The opening words WIT[H] HF.AFODWRECE are in alternate red and black capitals, and
"Note also the crude drawing in the outer margin on fol. 84v. This presumably depicts the seed of the plant acios
(vipers bugloss), which, as the adjacent text states, hafad scad gelic ncedran heafde.

28
red ink is also used for the first letters of Entries II-VI on the first folio of Lacn . Later in
Lacn. Entries CL-CENT have headings or initials rubricated in what appears to be red lead
ink - not as GS (p. 182) maintain "silver laid on blackn20 - which , having oxidized, now has a
silvered effect and a somewhat blurred outline (cf. e . g. BL MS Royal 5 F iii fols 2v21 and
39v) ; they appear to be by the same hand as the main text (so Brown [1987: 47 n. 12] against
GS (p. 182 n 7 "by ... another, but contemporary hand" )). The headings and initials on folios
192r-v may also be in faded red ink .22

Signs and Abbreviations

The following are used in OE passages in Lacn.:
i. the Tironian sign 7 is the usual means of representing ondland, but only as the
conjunction "and" - it is not found as an element in words such as ondlang and ondwleotan.
ii. crossed b for bat (also in opbcet, Pcette).
iii. overline bar for -m(-) (but never n); also commonly for -ne in ponne, and for -e- in
the unstressed ge- prefix (including ongeme[tJlice) (but this ge- abbreviation is not found in
Lacn. before fol. 159r); also exceptionally for -e in (lane (fol. 175v 1. 3) and gesinge (fol.
171r 1. 3), for -e- in ofgeat (fol. 170r 1. 13), for -er in haligwceter (fol. 171r 1. 4), and for -win fiver (fol. 176r 1. 5).
iv. crossed 1(L,at. uen occasionally for OE oddo%dde (but only once outside LL. - fol.
158v 1. 6).
No Lat. abbreviations worthy of special note are found

Punctuation
Punctuation in Lacn . is light and not uniformly consistent. A dot is usually used, its
position varying in height from the base line to half way up the letter. It can mark the end of
individual entries (e. g . fol . 130r 1 . 6 gelome . KIM heafodwrcece) and of sense units within a
remedy (e . g . fol . 130r 1. 3 nydowearde . cnuca), and delineate individual elements in a list
" Brown [1 9 87 : 47] also speaks of "silver ink".
"Reproduced and described in Brown [1 990: 6 1 (pl . 2 0) ] .

II GS (p. 2 07) remark incorre ctly that some "red initials have been employed on fo. 1 30, but otherwise those in the
Lacnunga text are not coloured".

29

(e . g . fol . 138r 11 . 12-16 elenan . 7 rcedic . 7 cyrfrllan . 7 hrcemnes fot . cengliscne nap . 7frnul
. 7 saluian . 7 supernewuda) , but sometimes it is used in the middle of sense units without
obvious significance (e . g . fol . 130v 11 . 6-7lcete flowan . ofpcen nebbe) . In addition to a dot
(also : -, and dot plus flourish) , entries and sections are sometimes delineated by the following
entry starting with an enlarged capital letter or initial, sometimes on a new line .

A colon ( : ) is used in an OE passage on fol . 171v 1 . 4. It is followed by a capital letter

and separates two related sections of what is taken to be one entry in my edition. It is also
used once on fol . 133r 1 . 12 in the middle of a list of plant names at the end of the line after
quinquefolium , but this might be a dittographic scribal error after the preceding Lat.
abbreviation quinq: (for quinq (ue)) in quinq(ue)joltum (the intended punctuation probably
being a simple dot as elsewhere in this list) .
A slanting hyphen (/) occurs once in an OE passage, connecting folios 171r and v
(cyr-fi llan) . It is placed on the verso with a space left before -fillan . Possibly fol. 170v 1. 14
also shows a hyphen, but it might not be contemporaneous .
The punctus elevates - a mark that was "never in general use for OE" (Ker p. xxxiv)
seems to be used only once in Lacn., in an OE passage on fol. 172r 1. 12 .
The punctus interrogatives is used once in a Lat. passage on fol. 183r 1. 11 .
The punctus versus is used occasionally at the end of entries or major sense units . The
first instance is fol . 164r 1. 14, then e . g. fol . 169r 1 . 14, fol. 169v 1. 3 , and foL 180r 1. 15 .
In the final quire (folios 191-193) only the simple dot is used.
Some later medieval - possibly thirteenth-century - capitulum signs have occasionally
been added (sometimes over the original punctuation) in order to more clearly distinguish
individual entries . These are noted in the Textual Apparatus.

Methods of Correction
There are many scribal corrections in Lacn.:
i. Subpuncting by means of a dot below the letter to be corrected. There is only one
instance of this in Lacn.: on fol. 180v 1. 5 gemcersad is corrected to gemcPrsod (but not
certainly by the same scribe).

30

ii. Letters to be inserted are written above the line. They are often (not always)
accompanied below the line by a caret mark in the form of a long line tapering to the left.
E. g . -n- in fol . 131v 1. 9 hnydelan .
iii . Erasure of letters is frequent, and often untidy . Sometimes only the part or parts of a
letter that could not be incorporated into the desired letter are erased.
iv. Alteration of letters from one graph to another without recourse to erasure is also
found

Accents
The following acute accent marks are found above vowels in the following words in
Lacn. (accent position is indicated by underlining here):
as (fol. 168r 1 . 10), aaius (fol . 168r 1. 7, 8, 10), an (fol. 159v 1 ., 6, fol . 166r 1. 9, fol . 190r
1 . 14), befon (fol. 184r 1. 9), cassucleaf (fol. 170r 1. 11), do (fol. 173v 1. 5), doo (fol. 174r 1.
13) , dreenc (fol . 137r 1 . 11),.fr_ c (fol . 134v 1. 3), geallan (fol. 169r 1. 9), O (fol . 184r 1 . 12), o
(fol. 182r 1 . 2), on (fol. 171r 1. 5 (first)) , sced (fol. 180r 1. 13), singan (fol. 167r 1. 10), sother
(fol . 184v 1. 8 (second)), jbearf (fol. 188r I . 3), uetho (fol . 184v 1. 6), YP (fol. 173r 1 . 11),
wudafr/lan (fol. 132v 1. 3). There might also be an accent sign above nxttige (fol. 142r 1. 14)
(see above) . It is doubtful whether fol. 142v 1. 5 in has an accent mark
Of the OE words in this list accents fall on :
i. monosyllables an, do, doo, dreenc, fic, on, scPd,,bearf, and up.

ii. unstressed final syllables -an, -on in the words geallan, singan and befon.
iii. unstressed syllable -uc of cassuc- in cassucleaf.
iv. short stressed initial syllable wud- in wudafillan.
For information on the use of accents in OE MSS see Ker (p. xxxv).

Medieval annotations
A thin strip of parchment has been pasted onto fol. 1*, upon which is written, in a
(probably) thirteenth-century hand, Decoctio berule: suauit(er) laxat.

31

There are many later medieval - probably mostly thirteenth-century - English and Lat.
annotations in Harley 585. The following list records those appertaining to Lacn.1
ME annotations24 :
Fol. 132v: the words wade merche senicle. siwardes wort are written in the margin
(associated with each other by converging lines) beside Lacn.'s 7 wudamerce (1. 39). Wade
merche (StratBrad wade-merch(e)) is obviously equated with OE wudamerce, and, judging
from the evidence collected by Hunt [1989: see under Saniculal, ME wudemerche, senicle,
and siwardes wort can all be synonyms for Sanicula europaea L., sanicle.
Fol. 138r: Wen is added in the margin next to the remedy To wensealfe.
Fol. 142v: next to the second element -tine of tocine (-tine begins a new line in MS) and
in the same hand as an immediately preceding Lat. annotation Contra Jluxum uentris is the
early ME verb chine meaning "crack", "split" (see OED "chine"; StratBrad chinen).
Fol. 145v: above anre is an illegible word in red.
Fol. 146r: the words Blod lete in the margin are to be taken before Genim betan (or after
the preceding words swa he swibast merge?). GS read Blod lece, and overlook the indication
of its place of reference by means of a signe de renvoi.

Fol. 151v: Pwithe [P- is uncertain - it might be a wynn] man gardclije on mid: an
incomplete statement probably meaning "Let one whittle agrimony on with ... " (Awithe = OE
pres. subj. sg. Pwite? (see BT jiwitmr, OED "thwite", and StratBrad ME Pwiten? Gardclife =
OE garclife?2 3))26. It is apparently a corrupt copy of part of an OE remedy which is not
otherwise extant; cf. use of pwitan in BLch (292/1-2) genim done neowran wyrttruman; delf
up; jnvit nigon sponas on pia winstran hand.

Fol. 159v uic: glossed uich.

n Some - not all - of the annotati ons to folios 1 -129 are recorded by de Vriend in OEHerb (pp. 278-82 "Textual notes
to MS H"). See also my Commentary to Lacn. 1. 1007 where I disagree with de Vriend over the reading of one of these
annotations.
"Nd all of these are recorded by Ker [19 5 7 : 3 06] , nor is Harley 58 5 included in his se cti on on th e use of OE MS S
" Between 12 00 and the Disso lution of Monasteries" (pp. xlix-1). For a list of other OE manuscripts showing ME
annotation s of various types, and for a discussion of their significance to our understanding of the continued knowledge of
OE in later medieval centuries see Cameron [19 74] (Harley 5 8 5 is included on p. 222 ^

For some interesting comments on the thirteenth-century "tremulous" scribe of Woroe.4ees annotation (titles, glosses
and nota si ps) of Anglo-Saxon medico-magical teals see Franzen [1991 : 66-9, 199] .
The form gardchfe is not found in MED or Hunt [1989 ] ,
GS read pwiche for hwrthe, and trans lat e " let on e whittle garcl if on it too"; Ker teadsWwrche.

32

Fol . 159v cicel : glossed (?)ircel (the gloss is faint, hard to read and in the same hand as
uich above) .

Fol . 164v swefles : glossed bremston .

Fol . 170v do him vireo snceda : the word ete is written above the line upon a caret mark
following him .
Fol . 170v snmda : glossed J. piles. (i. e . presumably "pills") . If piles is English and of
thirteenth-century date it is noteworthy since the word does not seem to be recorded in MED,
and the first instance in OED ("pill" sb.Z) is dated 1484 . Cf. the Lat. annotation in the same
hand ad modum nubs (explained below) .
Fol . 17l r ompran sad: glossed docke . s . sede .

Fol. 173rgilstre : glossed quiture ("pus", "suppuration" - see StratBrad qviter) .

Fol. 190v (bottom margin) :

rote
wort walen .
. leaues.
wort frame .

Here rote is probably the usual ME word for "root" (there was an OE rote, but it does not
appear to be found in the medical oorpus)27; wort walen (seemingly glossed by rote) appears
to be an early ME descendant (or up-dated spelling) of the OE weak noun wyrhvala meaning
"root" (found many times in OEHerb, but never in Lacn. or BLch.) - StratBrad records ME
worse-wale "root", though OED "wartwale" states that this sense does not survive into ME;
wort frame, presumably for worttrume, is apparently an early ME descendant (or up-dated
spelling) of OE wyrt(t)rume or wyrt(t)ruma "root" (the latter being common in the OE
medical corpus), but no such ME word is attested by StratBrad; leaues (GS misread loaves)
means "leaves" (StratBrad leaf records leaves in the thirteenth century), which, if it glosses
wort frame, is erroneous.

Lat . annotations :
Fol . 130r WIT[H] HEAFODK'RfECE: marginal annotation ad dolorem capitis.

"Cf: th e gl osses on fo l . 8r in OEHerb (wyrtruman = rote) and 2 1r (wyrtru man = radix).

33

Fol . 130r Wid heafodwrcece : marginal annotation Caput.

Fol. 130r Wid heajodwcerce : marginal annotation Caput.
Fol. 131 r Gifpoc sy on eagan : marginal annotation Ad maculam .
Fol . 131r Pis is seo cedeleste eahsealf. marginal annotation Contra omnes pestilentias
ocolorum .

Fol. 132r Wi8 hwostan : marginal annotation Ad tussim .

Fol. 133r Pis is seo grene sealf: marginal annotation Vnguentum uiride .
Fol . 133v Rid heafodece : marginal annotation Caput.
Fol . 134r Sea/f wid fleogendum attre : marginal annotation Ad uenenum .
Fol . 135r Cardiacus : marginal annotation Cardiacus (C and GS misread Carta) .

Fol. 135v Wid geswel : marginal annotation Ad (?)raucedinem. If raucedinem is correct

(abbreviated in MS) it means "For hoarseness" , and is apparently either erroneous or
irrelevant.
Fol. 136r blegene : marginal annotation Carbunculum.
Fol . 142v Wid utsihte : marginal annotation ContraJluxum uentris.
Fol . 147r cedelferdingwyrt : marginal annotation Auis lingua (see Hunt [1989 : under
Lingua Avis]) .
Fol .

147v feuerfuge : interlinear gloss centaurea minor (see Hunt [1989 : under

Centaurea]) .
Fol . 164v 91d micclum lice 7 bringcadle : annotation within text area Contra lepram .
Fol . 165v pis gebed man steal singan on da blacan blegene : Ad carbunculum . (Very
probably refers to this remedy - cf. annotation Carbunculum to fol . 136r blegene above rather than to the preceding one Wid wennas) .

Fol . 166v Gijin heorte ace : interlinear gloss Ad cardiacam .

Fol . 170v : do him preo snceda : marginal annotation next to Entry CVII ad modum nutis,
(i . e . "in the manner of/like a nut", which presumably refers to a pill (cf. the English gloss in
the same hand i. Piles "that is "pills"")) .

"I owe th is reading to Mr. Robert Ire lan d of University C oll ege, London.

34

Fol. 173r pia readan wudufillan : interlinear gloss sparagris agrestis (cf. Hunt [1989 :
under Asp aragus]).
Fol . 173v grundeswy/igean : interlinear gloss senecoep (with a line above -ecoe-) (the
form is odd, but cf. Hunt [1989 : under Senecio]) .
Fol. 173v hindheolodan : interlinear gloss ambrosia (see Hunt [1989 : under Ambrosia]) .
Fol . 173v du smalan cli8xyrt interlinear gloss rubea minor (cf. Hunt [ 1989: under

Rubea Minor] ).
Fol . 173v wuduhrofan : interlinear gloss astula regia (see Hunt [1989 : under Hasta
Regia and Hastula Regia] ).
Fol . 174r wid endwerce: interlinear gloss contra pucturas (with abbreviation mark above
-a-).
Fol . 174r Peo[hJwerce: -werce has interlinear gloss dolorem .
Fol . 174r jotswi(um : -swilum has interlinear gloss inflationem .

After fol . 175r AMEN a later hand (GS say "possibly seventeenth-century") writes
AMEN NO PENN ((?) or WENN or PENN). Part of another annotation in the same hand in
the outer margin remains, the rest having been lost when the leaf was cropped; what remains
seems to read yo(?)u B(?)o. These annotations might, as ASMNiFl (p. 26) thinks, be by
Barbara Crocker, the seventeenth- century owner who wrote on folios 1* and 2*.
As Dr. Robin Flower pointed out to GS (p. 206), John Joscelyn (1529-1603), secretary to
Matthew Parker, archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1575), has made a number of alterations to
and annotations on the Lat. text alone of LL. (not noted by Ker) :
Fol . 1 52 r unitas: altered to uani tas.
Fol . 152r militige : altered to militie .
Fol . 1 5 2v procedant : altered to precedant.

Fol. 152v milibus: altered to militibus.

Fol . 15 3 r inpenetrabi le: altered to inpenetrabi li.

Fol . 1 53v: Corruptissima written in margin, perhaps referri ng to chephalem .

Fol . 1 53v liganam : glossed linguam .

35

Fol. 154r timpore: altered to temporibus.

Fol. 154r guguilione: altered to gurguilione.
Fol . 154r ceotro : glossed cereb ro below.
Fol. 154v: Joscelyn may have crossed out the g in fingunt.
Fol . 154v cubiis: altered to cub itis.
Numerous nota signs are found in the margins in Lacn ., and are recorded in the Textual
Apparatus. They too were probably added in the thirteenth century. Such signs are also found
in the sole MS of BLch and LchBk3 (BL MS Royal 12 D xvii). As Wright [1955: 251
observes in the introduction to the facsimile volume of that MS, they "suggest ... that the
reader of the manuscript wished to mark certain passages for easy reference or guidance or it
may even be for copying into a commonplace book."

Facsimiles of BL MS Harley 585

A facsimile of Harley 585 is available on microfiche in ASMMF] accompani ed by a

rather unreliable description of the MS and its contents on pp. 26-36 (see "Description of the
Manuscript" above for criticisms) . The OE metrical charms, comprising in Lacn. folios
160r-163v, 167r-v, 175r-176r, 180v-181r, and 185r-185v, are photographically reproduced
in black-and-white in the EEMF series (Robinson & Stanley [1991]) .
I have also encountered the following black-and-white photographic reproductions of
parts of the MS in various books and articles :

OEHerb and OEMdQ:

de Vriend [1984 : facing p. aavii] : fol . 66v.
Branston [1957: 48] : fol . 106v.
de Vriend 11972 : xxv] : fol . 106v.

Lacn.:
Rubin [1974 : 51] : fol . 130r.

36

GS (immediately preceding text, and at back of book) : folios 130r, 141r, 156v, 160v, 18 3v.
Backhouse [1984 : 160] : fol . 1 3 2r.
Sandmann [1975 : Anhang] : folios 160r-163v, 167r-v, 175r-176r, 180r-181v, 185r-v (poor
quality photocopies of the folios containing the OE metrical charms) ".
Doane [1994 : 1 3 5-71 : folios 175r-176r.
Brown [1987: 51] : folios 182v, 183 r.

m Like the EE MF vo lume, this work a lso includes reproductions of OE metri cal champs in other MS S .

37

VARIANT VERSIONS, SOURCES AND ANALOGUES

ANGLO-SAXON VARIANT VERSIONS

(See also accompanying "Table of Extant Anglo-Saxon Variant Versions of Entries in Lacnungo")

Such Anglo-Saxon variant versions of, and close parallels to, entries in Lacn. as have
been found are presented in full in the Commentary to each entry. The only exceptions to this
are Entries LXIV H. 299-314 (for which I collate the many variant readings in the
Commentary) and LXV (i.e. LL., for a modern text of which, based on all extant MSS with
critical apparatus, introduction, translation, philological commentary and notes, see Herren').
Well over one third of the entries in Lacn. exist in one or more closely related Anglo-Saxon
versions in the following texts and MSS (for MSS of LL. see no. 28 below):

1. Bald's Leechbook (BLch) and the Third Leechbook (LchBk3):

These texts are found in BL MS Royal 12 D xvu. This MS (Ker no. 264, s. x med.)
contains three books of OE medical remedies and is commonly considered the most
important testimony to Anglo-Saxon medical practice. Both texts are edited by C (vol. II,
with archaic parallel translation) and by LeonhardiZ; BLch has also been recently edited by
Deegan [1991] (with introductory discussion of sources, commentary, glossary, and
concordance)'. The first two books, which constitute BLch, end with this colophon:
Bald habet hunc librum Cild quern conscribere iussit;
Hic precor assidue cunctis in nomine Cristi
Quo nullus tollat hunc librum perfidus a m e
Nec ui necfurto nec quodam famine falso.
Cur? Quia nulla mihi tam cara est optima gaza
Quam cari libri quos Cristi gratis comi1.

` Anew edition of LL based an BL MS Harley 5 8 5 is announ ced by B. R. Hutcheson and Will ard Ruscb (OEN 25
n o. 4 Summer 1992 , p. 33 ).

=Kleinere angelsdchsrsche Denkmdler I (Biblioth ek der angelsAdisischen Prosa 6^ pp. 1 - 1 09 (includes LchBk3).
A number of scholars have promised new editions: Voigts & Bierbaumer (see Voigts [ 1979a : 12] ), M. L Cameron
& M. A D'Aronoo (OEM 26 no. 4 Summer 1 993, p. 28 ^ and M. Deegan (OEN 26 no. 4 Summer 1 993, p. 3 0).

4 S isam [19 5 3 : 1 1
0 n . 51 remarks that "the ni ckn ames Bald and Cud are used alon e for metrical can veniance, an d
Cild in dicates that th e scribe was young"

38

The third book - LchBk3 - is now usually regarded as a separate work, though this
distinction is not always observed. A separate edition of LchBk3 is by Olds [1984] (with
introduction, commentary, translation and list of plant names with possible identifications) '.
There are facsimile editions of this MS by Wright [1955] (with an extensive
introduction) and in microfiche form in ASMMF] . The language of this MS is described as
"intermediate between EWS and LWS" (Hogg 1 . 10) .
The connections between BLch and Lacn. are of particular importance and have been
analysed in detail by Meaney [1984a] . I would make the following observations in particular:
i. All but one of the variant versions in BLch come from the first book However, the one
exception might perhaps be considered a parallel rather than a true variant version of the
same remedy (i . e. Lacn. Entry CXXII) .
ii. The first three entries in Lacn. duplicate part of the first chapter of BLch, but with a
change in order and certain differences in wording that make it unlikely that Lacn. is here
derived from the Royal MS here.
iii. Lacn. Entries LXXI-LX= duplicate the whole of chapter xxx of LchBk3. However,
differences in wording show that Lacn. does not derive from the Royal MS here.
iv. Lacn. Entries LXXQ{VII-XCIX duplicate BLch (98/22-100/21), though BLch has no
parallel to Lacn. LX}OCVIII (a charm which might be an independent addition to Lacn.).
Differences in wording make it unlikely that Lacn. is copied from the Royal MS here.
v. Lacn. Entries CXXXVIII and CXXXIX are found in the same order in BLch
(124/9-12) . Superior readings in Lacn. and other differences in wording make it unlikely that
Lacn. derives from the Royal MS here.
vi. Lacn. Entries CLXXIII-CLXXV and CLXXVII-CLhXX are paralleled in BLch
(56/16-58/6) and (60/5-15) and it is likely that the gap in sense in 1. 1008 can be rectified by
reference to BLch.
Entries CLXXVI-CLXXIX are also found in the so-called "Nowell transcript" fol . 261v
(on which see no. 2 below) . There is close agreement he re between BLch. and Lacn ., though
some superior readings in Lacn. show that these have not been copied from the Royal MS.
' Anew edition is pl anned by M. L. Cameron & M A. d'Atnnco (see footn ote 3 above

39

Moreover, Lacn . and the Royal MS here share readings not found in the Nowell transcript .
Since Lacn . is here derived from neither the Royal MS nor the Nowell remedies another
exemplar must be supposed, and Meaney [1984a : 263] suggests that:
This may have been the Alfredian fair copy of Bald's Leechbook, whose existence is
not in doubt and which would probably have had the West Saxon form spatl which
could have caused Lacnunga's mistaken swat [see Commentary to 1. 999] .

2. BL MS Additional 43703 (Transcript of BL MS Cotton Otho B ai), the "Nowell

transcript":
This is a transcript made by Laurence Nowell in 1562 of an Anglo-Saxon MS, thought
to have been written at Winchester partly in the middle of the tenth century and partly in the
middle of the first half of the eleventh century, which was largely destroyed by the
Ashburnham House fire in 1731. On folios 261-4 Nowell transcribed over fifty OE remedies
These appear to have become detached from the original MS after Nowell's time but before
the fire; however, these leaves have never been found and are "presumed lost" by Grant
[ 1974: 112]. Most of the remedies are also found in BLch, some of which also occur in Lacn.
There is no single edition of this collection: those remedies which parallel BLch are
summarized by Ker (p. 233) and are presented beside their BLch versions by Deegan [1991];
the others (which according to Meaney [1984a: 2461 may constitute remedies lost from the
BLch) are printed by Torkar [19761. See further Grant [19741, Torkar [19761, and Meaney
[ 1984a].
The remains of the original MS - which unfortunately include no part of the remedies are BL Cotton Otho B xi (Ker no. 180, s. x med.-xi).

3 . OE Herbarium Complex (OEHerb and OEMdQ):

Of the four extant major OE medical collections , only this complex has survived in more
than one copy:
i. BL MS Cotton Vitellius C iii (fol. 12r-82v) . Ker no. 219, s. xi '. This MS is available in
microfiche facsimile in A SI 11^fF1 .6

40

ii . Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Hatton 76 (fol . 68r-130r) . Ker no . 328, s. xi med

iii . BL MS Harley 585 (fol. 1r-129v, immediately preceding Lacn. ).
iv. BL MS Harley 6258 B (fol . lr-S lr, preceding PD) . Ker (p. )dx) dates to "after 1200" ,
but de Vriend (OEHerb p. xxx) says "it is possible, if not probable, that the manuscript was
produced in the second half of the twelfth century at the latest" (see also OEHerb p. xxx n. 1 ,
and Sanborn on PD (no . 17 below)) .
The standard edition of the OEHerb complex (including OEMdQ) is de Vriend [1984] .
A separate edition of OEMdQ is de Vriend [1972] (with English translation) . The old edition
of OEHerb and OEMdQ by C (vol. I) contains an English translation.

Isolated variant versions or close parallels to remedies in Lacn . are also found in the
following Anglo-Saxon MSS and texts :

4 . Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 41 (p. 206):

The MS was given to Exeter by Bishop Leofric (d 1072) . The section containing the
metrical charm parallel to Lacn . Entry CXLIX and the Lai prayer parallel to Lacn. Entry CL
is dated s. xi' or xi med by Ker (no. 32) . This MS contains several charms and prayers for
protection (including OE metrical charms nos . 8, 9, 10, and 11 (ASPR 6)) . For an edition
and study of some of the charm material in this MS see Grant [1979 : 1-26] .

5. Cambridge, Co rpus Christi College MS 39 1 :

Ker no. 67, s. xis. The passage in question (p. 718) is edited by Forster [1929: 273-4]).

6. Cambridge Anfidotary:

Ker no. 16, s. xi. This collection (ed. Sigerist [1923: 160-7]) is part of the late eleventhor early twelfth-century Canterbury Classbook (Cambridge University Library MS Gg 5. 35.,
fol. 427v-431v), a medical collection of Anglo-Saxon compilation. For discussion of the MS
contents see Cameron [1993: 49-53].
`A facsimile edition of this MS is also being prepared for publication in the EEMF series by Ni L Cameron & Ni A
D'Amoco - see D'Aronco [19945: 326 n. 4].

41

7 . Cambridge, University Library MS LL I 10, The Book of Cerne:

Ker no . 27, s. ix in . See also Webster & Backhouse [1991 : 2111 . This large prayerbook
collection contains another text of Lacn . H . 299-314 ', and another text of LL. with an OE
gloss (see below). The MS may be associated with Bishop JEthelwald of Lichfield (818-30).
It is edited by Kuypers [1902] (with a facsimile (pl. II) of fol . 43r - the start of LL. ) .

8. Durham, Cathedral MS A iv 19, The Durham Ritual.

Ker no. 106 , s. x`. It is edited by Lindelof & Thompson [1927] and by Correa [1992] .

9. BL MS Cotton Claudius A iii :

Ker no. 141 , s . x/xi. Claudius Pontifical I is edited by Turner [1971] .

1 0. BL MS Cotton Domitian is
Ker no. 146 dates the single remedy on fol . 55v as s . x2. It is edited by C (vol. I, p. 382).

11 . BL MS Cotton Faustina A x:
Ker no . 154 , s. xii '. The remedy in question on fol . 116r is edited by S (no. 82, p. 3 07).

12 . BL MS Cotton Vespasian D xx:

Ker no . 212 , s. x med. The remedy in question on fol . 93 r is edited by S (no. 52 , pp.
289-90) .

1 3. BL MS Cotton Vitellius C iii :

Ker no . 219, s. xi `. In addition to an illustrated text of OEHerb and OEMdQ (see no. 3
above) this MS contains a small group of miscellaneous remedies. The remedy in question
(on fol . 82v-83r) is edited by C (vol . I, p. 374) .

' There is a ph otograph ofpart ofthis text (that found on fol. 3 7r) in Webster & Backhouse [1 991 : 21 0] .

42

14 . BL MS Cotton Vitellius C viii:

Ker no. 221 , s. xi' . The passage in question (on fol . 22r-v) is edited by Forster [1929 :
271-3] .

15 . BL MS Cotton Vitellius E xviii:

Ker no. 224, s. xi med. According to Ker this MS was probably written at Winchester.
The passage in question (on fol . 15r) is edited by Forster [1929 : 273-41 .

16 . BL MS Harley 2965, The Book of Nunnaminster :

Ker no . 237 . See also Webster & Backhouse [1991 : 210-111 . This MS is dated to "the
late eighth or early ninth century", and was "at Winchester in the tenth century, and probably
belonged to Alfred's queen Ealhswith (d. 909)" (SASLC p. 1 3 8) . Among its contents are
another version of Lacn . U . 299-314 immediately preceding a copy of LL. (which is thought
by Herren (p. 5) to be one of the exemplars for Lacn .'s Lat. text of LL. ). The Book of
Nunnaminster is not, however, the exemplar for Lacn . U. 299-314 . It is edited by Birch
[1889] . A microfiche facsimile of this MS is available in ASAE4F] .

17 . Peri Didaxeon (PD):

This collection of remedies is found (incomplete) in BL MS Harley 6258 B (fol.
5 lv-66v) .
It is edited by C (vol. III pp. 81-145, with a translation), again by Loweneck [1896]
(with some source material presented parallel to the English text), and most recently by
Sanborn [1983] (with a description of the MS produced with the aid of Julian Brown, an
analysis of the language, and a commentary). Sanborn dates PD between 1175 and 1225 on
palaeographical grounds. Ker (p. xix; see also the "Supplement" p. 574 n. 1) would date the
MS "after 1200". A microfiche facsimile of this MS is available in ASMIFI.

43

18. BL MS Royal 2 A xa, The Royal Prayerbook:

Ker no. 248, s. viii2. See also Webster & Backhouse [1991: 2081. This MS "contains a
very early body of devotional prayers, along with extracts from the Gospels, a creed, a litany,
the Gloria, canticles and hymns" (SASLC p. 138). It is edited by Kuypers [1902: Appendix];
see also Birch [1889: Appendix A]). A microfiche facsimile of this MS is available in
ASMMFI.

19. BL MS Royal 12 E xx:

This MS contains a previously unnoticed variant version of Lacn. Entry 7 XH in Lat. and
English (late OE/early ME) on fol . 162v. The MS, according to the British Museum's
catalogue (Warner & Gilson [1921]), was written in England and is dated to the twelfth
century. The remedy is edited here for the first time. The MS is not described in Ker.

20. London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library MS 46:

This leaf (fol. 144) was formerly Lanhydrock, Bodmin, Collection of Lord Clifden MS
B. 12 (Ker no. 98, s. x/xi (see Supplement in Ker for the change in ownership and location)).
According to Ker it was "used as the wrapper of a sixteenth-century book, and probably
originally a blank endleaf of a (medical?) manuscript". It is edited by Napier [1890: 325 -6
(01-

2 1 . Omont Fragment

This recently discovered leaf of mostly herbal remedies is found in Louvain,

BibliotMque de 1'Universie

Section des Manuscrits, Fragments H. Omont 3 . Ker no. 417

(s. x in . ). It is edited with palaeographical description, discussion of the language, and a

translation by Schauman & Cameron [1977] - Schauman believes it was produced in "a
centre under Mercian influence in the 9th century" , and similarly Cameron would "date it
between 850 and 900 A. D., and place it at a scriptorium where Mercian conventions of
writing were observed" . However, Bately [1988 : 102 n. 62] rejects a ninth-century date in

44

support of Ker's early tenth-century date. Recently Kitson [1990 : 220] has argued on the
basis of the formation and phonology of the word eapuldorn (Schauman & Cameron 1. 22
eapul, dorn) , which is also found in a Worcestershire charter, that the Omont Fragment was
"very probably ... composed in north-east Worcestershire" .
The Omont Fragment is included among the minor Mercian texts by Hogg 1 . 8 .

22 . Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Bodley 163:

Ker no. 304, s. xi med. The remedy in question (on fol . 227r) is edited by S (p. 302, no.
71) .

23 . Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Bodley 579, The Leofric Missal:

Ker no. 315 . This volume is edited by Warren [188 3 ] . According to him it was written
partly in the tenth and partly in the eleventh centuries, and was presented by bishop Leofric
to Exeter Cathedral . It includes among its contents rituals for healing (including the
prognostical "Sphere of Apuleius") , exorcism , and the blessing of e. g . fiuits, oil, water, and
salt (see Warren p. lxv who highlights these as an "objectionable element") .

24 . O xford, Bodleian Library MS Junius 85:

Ker no . 336, s . xi med. The charm in question (on fol. 17v) is edited by C (vol. I p. 394)
and by S (p. 289).

25 . Oxford, St. John's College MS 17, The Ramsey Scientific Compendium (RSC):
Ker no . 360, s . xii in. The relevant part is edited and partially translated by Singer
[1917] . See also on this collection Cameron [1993 : 54-8] .

26 . Paris, Biblioth^que Nationale MS Lat. 10575:

Ker no . 370, s. x med. This MS contains the Egb ert Pontifical, It is edited by Banting
[1989] .

45

27. Rouen, BibliotWque Municip ale MS A. 27 (368).

Ker no. 374, s. xi in. This MS contains the "Lanalet Pontifical". It is edited by Doble
[1937].

28 . The Lorica ofLaidcenn (LL. ) (Lace. Entry LXV) (also formerly known as the Lorica
of Gildas) is extant in six MSS in addition to Harley 585 (two of which - i and u below were written in England). The following details are taken mainly from the critical edition of
LL. by Herren (pp. 3-4) :
i. Cambridge , University Library MS Ll . 1 . 10, folios 43r-44v (Cambr . MS. This MS is
commonly known as the Book of Cerne ) ; s . ix in This text of LL. has OE glosses (partly s .
ix, partly s. x) .
ii . BL MS Harley 2965, folios 38r-40r. (This MS is known as the Book ofNunnaminster
- see above no. 16) . s. viii/ix or ix in.
iii . Verona, Biblioteca Capitolare MS lxvii (64), fol . 32r-v. s. ix in.
iv. Cologne, Dombibliothek MS 106 (formerly Darmstadt 2106), folios 60v-62. s. ix
v. Dublin, Royal Irish Academy MS 23 P 16, folios 241v-242r. This MS is known as the
Leabhar Breac or "Speckled Book"). s. xv in.
vi . Vienna, Nationalbibliothek MS 11857, fol. 248r-v. s. xvi .
According to Herren (pp. 5-13) the OE glosses to LL. in Lacn . are not derived from
those in Cambr. MS, but both sets of glosses rather derive from a glossed MS (not extant)
which "was probably written in Mercia at some time in the eighth century". This putative
eighth century English MS is in turn thought, on the basis of evidence suggesting that
Aldhelm and the Epinal and Erfurt glossaries knew LL., to derive from a MS (not extant)
glossed in English "written in the latter half of the seventh century, probably in the last
quarter". Lacn.'s Lat. text of LL. is also thought to derive in part from that of the Book of
Nunnaminster.

46

VERNACULAR SO URCES
Little can be certainly ascertained about the OE sources of Lacn. since none of its entries
can have been copied directly from any of the extant MSS containing variant versions
outlined above. However, it seems likely, from the localized groupings of many of the
remedies in Lacn. which deal with the same affliction (see below) - some of which are extant
in the same order in BLch and LchBk3 - and also occasionally from certain distinctive
affinities of wording, that Lacn . is at least partly derived from (and so composed of)
numerous small pre-existing sets of originally distinct remedies which have either been
extracted directly from longer OE texts no longer extant, or are copied from single
manuscript leaves or small booklets; some may derive from oral transmission. The last two
possibilities might explain the lack of overall (as opposed to localised) order in the
collection8. It might also accord with Audrey Meaney's [1975] suggestion that the
compilation of BLch may have been facilitated by the use of "a kind of elaborate medical
card-index - or at any rate, a loose-leaf collection" . The presence of alliteration and
occasionally rhyme in certain remedies in Lacn. (esp. Entries XXXI and LXM) - a feature
which is not, I think, found in any other extant OE remedies - is strong evidence for the
likelihood of oral transmission
With regard to the OE charms - particularly the metrical charms - it may be said that,
while some may very well have oral roots that are potentially ancient and pagan (e . g. Entry
LJ)CXVI ll. 650-8 and Entry CXXVIn', there is no reason whatsoever to suppose that OE
charms - perhaps on occasion utilizing ancient material - could not have been composed (or
translated) throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, or that all those extant can be grouped

' Cf. Mean ey [1984a : 245 ] :

One gets the impress ion that the Lacnu nga "compiler" simply put down everything as it came to han d (not for
him the problems of organization ) and later gro up in gs, as for instance the three "Irish" incantations [Entries
?CXV-XXVII] and the remedies for diarrhoea [Entries ?O{M-XL,II ] , may well be due to their ha ving come
to hand and been entered en bloc.

Meaney's [ 1 984a : 2 53] speculation on the compositi on of the OE remedy collection in BL MS Cotton Otho B xi
(extant only in the "Nowell Orenscript") might well also shed light on the origins ofLacn:
It is very tempting to postulate that, as remedies came to the compiler's hand, they were copied on to scraps of
varying sizes and even varying sh apes. Surel y every scripto rium must have used offarts from th e edges of
expensive and e laborately prepared (but irregularly shaped) skins for their rou gh work, whi ch usually would
have been thrown away afterwards, the contents only surviving if providentially copi ed into a coded as the
Oth o coll ection was.

' See Kuhn [ 1 864] for a demon stration of the remarkable survival down the mill^a m variant foRns (including the
OHG Second Merseburg Charm ) of a Sanskrit charm (in the Atharva-veda). It survived - perhaps even still survives - in
use into the twentieth century.

47

together as essentially pagan compositions (e. g . Entry CXLIX and the Journey Charm
(ASPR 6 no . 11) are - at least to my mind - purely Christian charms)10 .
The presence of many of the OE remedies in identical or closely variant versions in
earlier MSS of course shows that these remedies were in existence prior to the production of
Harley 585. The earliest date of origin that can be given to an OE remedy in Lacn. on the
basis of the existence of an earlier variant version is early tenth century for Entry LXXIX
(paralleled in the Omont Fragment, though scribal error therein is evidence for the earlier though not necessarily pre-tenth century -e)dstence of this remedy)".
The most notable groupings of remedies according to the affliction to be cured in Lacn.
are as follows: Entries I-N (for headache), IV-X (eyesalves), XXVI and XXVII (the same
incantation used for wyrm), X=-XLI (?XLII) (for diarrhoea), XLIII-XLVIII (purgative
drinks), LI-LXI (all apparently soups and drinks for lung-disease), LXVIII-LX7CIV (for
Peor), LXXVII and LXXVIII (for anal fistula and haemorrhoids), LXI'XIII and LXXXIV
(for black swellings), LXNIXVII-XCIX (remedies wid cElces cynnes omum 7 onfeallum [7]
banco,bum), CXVI-CXVIII (for pain in the side), CXIX-CXXI (for foot problems), CXXIII ,
and CX?QV (for lice), CXXVHI-CXXXI (for lice), CJ3CKM-C30CXVII (veterinary remedies
and a charm for theft (possibly of livestock)), CX}CCVIII-CXL (for hand problems), CXLIV
and CXLV (for peor), CXLIX-CLXV (possibly associated as a continuous series of
incantations and prayers with CLXI-CLXIII forming a group for problems in rearing a
child),

CLXVIII

and

CLXIX

(for

erysipelas),

CLXXIH-CLXXV

(for

cough),

CLXXVII-CLXXX (for heart-pain), and CLXOCXIV- CLXXXVII (Lat. blessings, the first
two and the last two of which are paired).

" Contrast the generalizing opin ion of Ri cci [1 929 : 261 1 :

Let us take the Charms. By th e application of the best tees (those of Masbach l Richter comes to the
concl usion that they probably bel ong to the first h alf of the eighth century, aft er Genesis A, Daniel A, the
Leyden Riddle, and possib ly Beowulf. In fad, he finds several signs of relative lateness, most of which are
indu bitabl e. But wh o coul d seriously attempt to ma intain, an the str en gth of this, th at the Charms represent a
form of eighth-c entury composit ion ? Can anything possibly be more certain, from the point of view of literary
history, than that they are of pa gan origin, and therefore must be dealt with before Genesis? The reason ofthe
apparent an oma ly is, of course, obvi ous; whereas Genesis was written down immediately on its composition,
the Charms underwent centuries of oral transmissson .

and (p. 26 5 ):
in the Charms the Christian element is obviously the result of slow tran sformation and accretion in the course
of oral transmissi on.
"'There may be documentary evidence for th e existence of OE prose remedi es as early as the ei ghth century - Ka
( Appendix n o. 3 ) observes that an OHG remedy uu idhar concu r in an eighth -century MS in an insular hand from Fulda
(ed. Ste inmeyer [1916 : 39 -40 ] ) " appears to be an imperfectly a ch ieved translation into Old High German of an OE
origina l".

48

The route (or routes) by which OIr charms (remnants of the magical lore of the Irish
frlid?) came to Lacn . and some other Anglo-Saxon MSS is unknown'Z. They might have
come via Lindisfarne , or with the many scholars and ecclesiasts who travelled between
England and Ireland whose journeys are recordrd e . g. in the Hisperica Famina and in Bede's
Historia Ecclesiastics . It may also be noted that there are records of several bilingual
English and Irish speakers : Oswald (Belle's Historia Ecclesiastics (ed. Colgrave & Mynors
[1969 : 220]) : linguam Scottorum ism plene didicerat) , Oswiu (Belle's Historia Ecclesiastics
(p. 296) : illorum edam lingua optime inbutus), and King Aldfrith of Northumbria (685-705) ,
son of an Irish woman, who "had a reputation as a man of letters" and whose court formed
"an admirable link between Irish and Northumbrian culture" (Colgrave & Mynors [1969 :
430 n . 1]) . It is possible that Aldfrith himself composed OIr texts, such as the gnomic
collection known as Briathra Flainn Fina maic Ossu (see Williams & Ford [1992 : 34]) .

Since certain OE parts of Lacn . might be thought on linguistic grounds to derive from
earlier ninth- or tenth-century Mercian works, it is interesting to learn that, - according to
Hughes [ 1970 : 61 ] , "it must have been quite common to meet an Irish cleric in Mercia before
816", and in particular that Wright [1993 : 267-70] draws attention to King Alfred' s use of
Irish scholars, and argues on the basis of "abundant evidence of continuing contacts with the
Irish" for the existence of a tenth-century (or at least "between the last quarter of the ninth
century and the first three-quarters of the tenth") "Irish influenced literary milieu .. in
Mercia" particularly during the reign of Athelstan (924-939) .
See also on the potential for Anglo-Irish literary connections Carney [1955 : chap. 3 , and
note pp. 112-3] and Dumville [1981 : esp. 109-21] ".

" Dunl eavy [19 60: 96 ] remarks that the "study of magi c an d charms and their transmi ssion from Irel an d to
Northumbria has only begun" ; the suggestion of Witcutt [1 9 46] th at they are the only surviving fra gments of "British
Gaeli c" belonging to "a submerged Celtic populati on whi ch still persisted under An glo-Saxon rul e" is rejected by modern
schol arship - the ch arms in questi on are Irish .
` Deta i ls of literary ch annels and mfluai ces between Britain and Ireland in the early Middl e Ages can also be found
in St over [ 1926 , 1 9 2 7] and Ford & Borst [ 19 8 2] , but these works do n ot refer to th e Irish charms extant in An glo-Saxon
MS S .

49

LATIN SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 14

No source works or authors are mentioned in Lacn., though one remedy (Entry C)CIX)
derived from the Herbari um of Pseudo-Apuleius does claim to relieve pain wonderfully
"according to the testimony of learned doctors " (ices de gelcerede Iceceas secgead) , and
another (Entry CLXXXII), translated from the De minuti one sanguinis now attributed to
Pseudo-Bede, similarly attests its prior existence ([ices die we secgan gehyrdan) . Such Lat.
sources and analogues as have been found are presented in full in the Commentary. They
come chiefly from the following texts ":
1 . The Natural History (Historia Naturalis) (NH) of Pliny the Elder. This encyclopedic
work was completed in A.D. 77. That NH was known first-hand to at least some
Anglo-Saxons is apparent from the survival of an eighth-century Anglo-Saxon fragment of
NH preserved as Leiden, Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit Voss. Lat. F. 4, folios 4-33 (see
Gneuss [1981: no. 838]), as well as from Bede's familiarity with it (Cameron [1983b: 146]).
2. The Medicina Plinii (MedPlin). This remedy collection, which partly draws upon the
medical sections of NH, is thought to have been composed in the third or fourth century. It is
edited by Onnerfors [1964].
3. The Physics Plinii. Two versions of this fifth- or sixth-century remedy collection have
been edited: the so-called "Bamberg" recension (PhysPlinB) (ed Onnerfors [1975]), and the
"Florentine-Prague" recension (the three books of which are edited by Winkler [1984]
(PhysPlinFP1), Wachtmeister [1985], and Schmitz [1988] (PhysPlinFP3)). The third main
version of this text, the "St. Gall" recension, has not been edited in full, but contains
numerous charm interpolations (see Onnerfors [1985]); some of these charms are of interest
in relation to Lacn. Entries XXQI, CLIII, and CLVIII. Since the sixteenth century the Physics
Plinii has often been attributed without foundation to one "Plinius Valerianus" (so e.g. Q.
For a study of the Physics Plinii in relation to BLch see Adams & Deegan [1992].
4. The De Medicamentis Liber (DML) of Marcellus of Bordeaux (also known as
Marcellus Empiricus) provides analogues rather than likely sources. This large remedy
"For a survey ofthe Lat. medical literature of the early Middle Ages see Sigerist [1958].

"But see also notably the Lat texts cited in the Commentary to Lacn. Entry CLXX (the prescription of "King
Arestolobius") and Entry CL.X)OaII (a previously unrecognised Lat prayer-poem attributed in another MS to Bishop
Syagiius of Autun).

B E ^t,
Ua1 V,

50

collection (which includes many charms) is thought to have been written at about the end of
the fourth century (see Cameron [1 98 3b: 140] and [1993 : 68]).
5 . The Herbarium of pseudo-Apuleius (see also OEHerb , no . 3 above) . The Herbarium
has a complicated textual history, but was "presumably composed in the fourth century"
(OEHerb p. lxv).
6. The Medicina de Quadrupedibus. This remedy collection is attributed in several Lat.
MSS to one "Sextus Placitus Papiriensis", but this is now thought to be a ghost-name (see
OEHerb pp. lxvi-Ixvii) . This text may lie behind Lacn . Entry VIII, but is not a
straightforward direct source for it.
7. The Practica Alexandra of Alexander of Tralles (born c. 525, died 605) was written in
Greek, but soon translated into Lat. and augmented with material by Philumenus and
Philagrius of Epirus (see Cameron [1983b: 141-2] and [1993: 69]; on Philumenus and
Philagrius see Cameron [1983 b : 138]) .
8. The short, possibly ninth-century, tract De minu6one sanguinis, save de phlebotomia,
wrongly attributed in the Middle Ages to Bede, is the source for Lacn . Entry CLXXXH. On
this text see Jones [ 1939 : 88-9] .
9. Part of chapter eight of the apocryphal Virtutes Iohannis' 6. This was formerly thought
to be part of the original Acta lohannis, but this view is not currently held (Elliott [1993:
304]) . It is the source for Lace . 11. 299-314. A modern critical edition is by Junod & Kaestli
[1983 : 825/43 -621 . There is a translation of the relevant section by Elliott [1993 : 3441 .
10 . On the lexical sources of the Lat. text of LL. see Herren (pp. 39-41) , who remarks
that "the best hypothesis is that Laidoenn used Isidore [i.e. Isidore of Seville's Erymologiae,
especially the section De Homine et Portends], supplemented by an unknown Greco-Latin
glossary or glossaries with anatomical words". The OE gloss to LL. in Lacn. appears also to
be indebted in a few places to Isidore's section DeAngelis (Bk. 7.5).
11 . It is quite possible that other Lat. sources and analogues remain to be discovered,
e . g . in the Lat . text of the Practica Alexandra (to which I have not had access and for which

" Th ere is no referen ce to Angl o-Sa xon use of th is text in di Pa olo H ealey's [1 985 ] survey of Angl o-Saxon use of the
apocryphal gospels.

51

there is no acceptable edition), and in the "enormous quantity" of unpublished Lat. recipe
literature (see Cameron [1983 b : 142]) .

52

TA BL E O F EX TAN T ANGL O -SAX O N VA RIAN T VE RS IO NS O F EN TRIES IN

LACNUNGA
[ Groups of conseartive variant versions are shaded Note, however, that it has not been typographically poss ible to give
this in dicati on for th e Book ofNunnamtnster version s ofLacn. Entries LXI V (Il . 2 99-314) an d LXV]

Lachung a

Bald 'a Leechbook

Leechbook 3

(My edftlon)

(ed. C voL II, pp.

(ed. C vol. II, pp.

(Entry nos.)

1 -299)

300-60)

and Medicina de

(BIB. chap.

(Chap. (pa8eAlne ))

QuadruPedibus

( Pageiline ))

OE Herb arium of

Miscellaneous

Pseudo-Aputeius

(edition : OEHerb)
(Chap. remedy no.
(pa ge ffine))

1 i (1 8 1 9-2 1)

II

I i (18/22 -5 )

[ II

I i ( 18 12- 18 )

VI

I u ( 34/23 -6)

VIII

Cf. OEMdQ iv,

13

(246 23 -4)

PC

Lacn. XXXII

BL

MS

Vitellius

Cotton

C iii,

fol.

82v-83r (ed C vol . 1,

p. 3 74)

XI II

Cf. Lace. CVII

Cf. I it (32 1 -34 1 )

Cf. u (3 0 8 1 9-22 )

Cf. Ca m bridge
A no dotary (ed.
Sigerist [ 19 23 : 1 6 1] )

XVIII

J{YII

l x)ri (3 5 8l7- 14)

BL MS Royal 1 2 E
xx, fol. 1 62v (11. 7-10)

53

Lacnunga

Bolds Leechbook

Leechbook 3

(My edition)

(ed . C vol. II , pp.

(ed . C vol. II, pp.

(Entry nos. )

1 -299)

300-60)

and Medicina de

(Bk chaP

(Chap. (pageAine))

Quadrupedibus

(page/line))

OE Herbarium of

Miscellaneous

Pseudo-Aprtleius

(edition : OEHerb)
(Chap. remedy no.
( Pa Be)Un e))

XXV

Cf. 1 xlv ( 112 /28-33 )

Lacn.

XXV

(11.

2 55-6).
Lacn . LX}=
Oxford,

Bodleian

Library

MS

Bodley

16 3 , fol. 22 7 (ed. S
no. 71, p. 3 0 2 ).
(Cambri dge, Gonville
& Caius College MS
3 79, fol. 49r (ed. S no.
71, p. 3 0 2 )).
A7AVI II

Cf. OEHer6 xlvi 5

(9 2 10- 11 )

BL

XXX

MS

Cdicn

Domiti an i, fol. 55v

(ed. C vol. 1, p 38 2 ).
Wellcome

Londo n ,
Histori cal

Medical

Library MS 46, fol .

1 44

(ed.

Napier

[1 890: 32 5-6 (c)] )

A'7{XII

Lace. IX

a'`O{VI

I aaoni (7 8 1 -3 )

3{7IXVII

I xoai ii (66 12 - 14)

LI

Lacn. I.X.

LIV

Cf. OEHerb xlvi, 7

(9 2 1 5- 1 6)

LV

xiv (31 6/28-3 1 8/3 )

54

Lacnunga

Bntd 'i Leech book

Leech bo ok 3

(My editi o n)

(ed. C vol. II, pp.

(ed. C vol. II, pp.

(Entry nos. )

1 -299)

300-60)

and Medicina de

(Bk chap.

(Chap. (page/line))

QundrVedibrv

(pagelllne))

MLscellaneoos

OE Herb arium of
Pseudo-Apuleius

(edition : OEHerb)
(Chap. remedy no.
(pa g e/Un e))
Lac. LI

LX
Cf: xiv (316 21-7)

L,XI
LIXI II

1 2 5 5 -6 : I xlv

IL 2 55-6: see Lacn.

( 1122 8-33 )

XXV.
U. zssa: r,eoJi;c
Missal (ed. Warren
(1 883 : 2241).
U . 288-9: Lacn.
CLXX{VIII.
Durham Ritual (ed
Linde l8f & Thompson
[1 92 7: 991 ).

LXIV

11 .

297-314 :

( 1 1 2 /2 - 23 )

xlv

1L

2 9 2-3 :

Royal

Prayer Book B L MS
Royal

2.

XX,

foL 1 3r-v (edL Kuypers

[1 90 2 : 2061).
U. 2 99 -314 : Book of
Cern e (ed. Kuypers
1 190 2 : 15 71 ).
Durham Ritu al (ed.
Lindel8f & Thompson
[1 92 7: 12 5 1 ).
Book of
Nu r+ n a m i ns ter (ed
Birch [ 1 8 89 : 90 ] ).

55

Lacnunga

Bolds Leechbook

Leechbook 3

(My edition)

(ed . C vol. II, pp.

(ed. C vol. II, pp.

(Entry nos. )

1 -299)

300 -60)

and Medicines de

(Bk chap.

(Chap. (page/line))

Quadrupedibus

(PegeNne))

NlLweltaneous

OE Herbarium of
Pseudo-Apuleiua

(edition : OEHerb)
(Chap. remedy no.
(Page))

LXV

Book of
Nunnaminster (ed.
Birds [1889:90-5]).
Book ofCerne (e(L
Kuypers [1 902 :
8 5 -8 ] ).
Ixvi ( 3 5 4 1 7-22 )

LXIX

aoac (324/2 2 - 8 )
LJIXII

Boa (324/28 -32 6!2 )

LXXI II

xxx (32 6/2-8)

LX%JX

Om ont Fragme n t (ed.

Sc auman &
Cameron [1977 :
24 1 /7- 11] )

LS7Gl' III

Lace. XXV (see also

ll . 2 5 5 -6 and notes to
these entries)

IJXO{VII

I aaxviiii (98 122 -5 )

[.}017{IX

I =cvii ii (98/2 5-7)

xC

acaatiiui

(98 2 7-

100/2 )
XC I

I macviiii (1 0 0 /2-7)

XC II

I natviiii ( 100 8 -9)

XC III

I xxxviiii ( 1 0 0/9 - 1 0)

OF-Herb

Uoavii,

(1 2 6 18 -1 9 )
\C I V

I x^a^vi iii (100/1 1 -1 2 )

XCV

i xxxvii ii ( ]00 12 - 13 )

56

Bnld 'a Leeckbook

Leechbook 3

(My edition)

(ed. C vol. II, pp.

(ed. C vol. II , pp.

(Entry nos. )

1 -299)

300-60)

and Medicina de

(Bk chap.

(Chap- (page/lin e))

Q+tadrrtPedibur

(pa g e/lin e))

Miscellaneous

OE Herbarium of

Lacnunga

Pseudo-Apuleius

(edition : OEHerb)
(Chap. remedy no.
(Page))

XCVI

I aoocviiii (100/1 4-15)

XCVII

I aoxviiii (100/I5-17)

XCVI II

I xxxviiii ( 1 00/17-19)

XC IX

I aQOCViiii (100/20-1)

OENerb

cxxvi,

( 1 6 4/ 14-1 6)
C II

I vii ( 52 13 - 15 )

OEHerb i, 13
(32 23 - 5 )

C III

OEHerb ii, 2 2
(421 0- 12 )

CV

I u (34 1 -2)

CVII

CE Lace. XI

CVIII

I iii i (44 11 - 13 )

CIX

I iii (64 18 -20 )

OEHerb i, 1 0
(3 2 13 -1 5 )

CXI

I lxxxviii ( 1 56 2 6-9 )

CXI II

I Uaadii ( 1 5 2 19 -23 )

CXVI

I lo:i (6 4/7- 1 0)

OEHerb y 9
( 32 1 0- 12 )

CXVIII

Cf. OF-Herb x1 4 3
(86 28-8 82 )

Cm

OEHerb y 29
(3 6/24-7)

CXXII

II xoori i ii (240/5 -7)

OEHerb xciv, 3
( 138/7-9 )

57

Lacnunga

Bald 's Leechbook

Leechbook 3

(My edition)

(ed. C vol. II, pp.

(ed. C vol. II, pp.

(Entry nos. )

1 -299)

300-60)

and Medicina de

(Bk. ciwp.

(Chap. (page/line ))

Quadrupedi6us

(Pa Be/Une))

OE Herbarium of

Miscellaneous

Pseudo-ApulP.ius

(edition : OEHerb)
(Chap. remedy no.
(page/line))

CX}Ot

OEHerb

cii,

( 148/ 1 5- 18 );

xlvi, 3

(9 2 /4-7)
C}CA?{VI II

11 ( 124/9 - 11)

070ax

11 ( 12 4 1 1 -12)

CXL

I aoad ii i ( 80 22 -3 )

C7{L.II

OEHerb
(1 4015-8);

xciv,
(xciv,

11
2

( 1 38 4-6))
Ch1.I I I

PD

30

LBwenedc

(ed
[ 1 896:

1 7-18 ] )
CCCC MS 41 , p . 206

C.lZIX

(AS PR 6, p . 12 6)
CCCC MS 41 , p. 32 6

CL

(ed. S no. A4, p. 3 1 4)

CLI

Egbert Pon tifical (ed.

Wanting

[1 9 89:

3 6,

Missal

(ed.

50 ] ).
Leofnc

Warren [18 8 3 : 2 18 ] ).
CLVII

viii (322/7 -9)

58

Laciwnga

Bald 's Leechbook

Leechbook 3

(My edition)

(ed. C vol. II, pp.

(ed . C vol. II, pp.

(Entry nos.)

1 -299)

300 -60)

and Medicina de

(Bk chap.

(Chip. (page/line))

QuadruPedibua

(page/line))

Miscellaneous

OE Herbarium of
Pseudo-Apuleiru

(edition : OEHerb)
(Chap. remedy no.
(pa g e/line))

CLVI I I

Oxford,

Bodleian

Library MS Junius 8 5,
fol. 1 7v (ed. S p. 2 89).
BL

MS

Cotton

Vespasian D ioc, fol.

93 (ed. S no. 5 2 , pp.
2 89-90).
C LMV

BL

MS

Cotton

Faustuna A x, fol. 116r

(ed. S n o. 82 , p. 3 07).
C Ll?C

)di ( 314/2 0-316 4)

RSC, fol.

1 77r (ed.

S in ger [1 9 1 7: 146]).
CLX,1'III

I xv (56 16-26 )

CLk'XI V

I xv ( 56 /26-5 83 )

viiii (3 12 2 5 -6 )

OEHerb

xlvi,

(90 23 -6)
CLJL7CV

I xv(5 83-6)

C LXXVII

I xvi i ( 60 5-6 )

$L

MS

Additional

43703, fol. 261v.

C [.KVIII

I xvii (60 6 - 11)

BL

MS

Additional

43 70 3 , fol. 261 v.
C LA'YD{

I xvii (60 12- 13 )

BI.

MS

Additiona l

43 70 3 , fol. 26 1 v.

CLhM

I xvii (60 141 5)

BL

MS

Additional

43703, fo1. 261v

59

Bald 's Leechbook

Leechbook 3

(My edition)

(ed . C vol. II, pp.

(ed. C vol. II, pp.

(Entry nos.)

1 -299)

300-60)

and Medicines de

(Bic chap.

(Chap- (Page/ line))

Quadrupedibeu

(page/line))

Miscellaneous

OE Herbarium of

Locrungo

Pseudo-Apuleius

(edition : OEHffb)
Chap. remedy no.
(pa g ellin e))

CL.}ODa I

CcAton

MS

BL

Vitellius C viii, fol.

22r-v

Forster

(ed.

[1 9 2 9: 2 71-3] ).
Cf

BL MS Cdion

Vitellius E xviii, fol.

15 r

(ed.

FSrs[er

[1 9 2 9: 2 73 -4] ).
CE CCCC 3 91, p.71 8
(ed.

Forster

[1 9 29 :

2 73 13] ).
CLA'1 XV

Du rham Ritual (ed.

Lindetaf & Thompson
[1927:98]).

CLXXXVI

Durham Ritual (ed.

Iandeldf & Thompson
[ 1927: 11 5-6])

CLXJ^?tVII

Du rham Ri tual (ed.

Landel8f & Thompson
[ 1927 : 11 6 1 )

C LA'l7^'Vlli

Lacn. I.XIII IL 2 88-9 .

Durham Ritual (ed.
Lmdelof & Thompson
[1 92 7: 99 ] ).

60

THE OLD ENGLISH LANGUAGE OF LACNUNGA

[NB for "beside" understand "elsewhere in Lacn. "]

There are three earlier studies of the language of Lacn. by L (pp. 158-74 ; LL. on pp.
207-39) , Fazakerley [1945 : 31-59] (excludes LL. ) , and GS (pp. 212-2 7).

The language of Lacn. does not present a uniform picture, but, with certain important
exceptions, is generally characteristic of late OE and more specifically of LWS (see further
Conclusions below); the text raises special problems because its component parts very
probably come from a number of different sources. The following selective survey includes
those features which may have a bearing on the collection's date and dialectal origins, those
which are rare, unusual or otherwise noteworthy, and those which, being localized in
particular sections of the text, may indicate Lacn.'s composite nature; it is not a survey of
Lacn.'s standard WS forms.

1 . ORTHOGRAPHY

Vowels and diphthongs:

i. ae for ce: saes (LL.). This is a feature of some early MSS (Hogg 2.12 n. 1; Ker p.
xxviii), but is also found sporadically throughout the period.
ii. Diacritic e is occasionally used to indicate the palatal quality of a preceding c, cg, sc,
and Gmc, i before an unstressed back vowel: cemergean, bergean, bisceopxyrt (beside
biscopwyrt), bradbisceopwvrt, ciricean (beside cyrican), dreenceas, gefeccean, gewyrcean,
heceas, lawerbergean, micgean (beside cumicgan), secgead (beside secgan), streawbergean,
Picgean (beside Picgan), weorcean, wyrcean.
Such diacritics are typical of EWS and North. rather than LWS, but bisceop is
regularly used in texts of homilies by )Elfric (which also use wyrcead twice) (Campbell 45;
Hogg 2.68)}
* FpQ E.K/dthQL.E$
A+vD

ins

ora-Ct

C,vRk^+^l,

OF pCC A6 I 0NAL 1NSI^W C.-E$ Olr^' b lfjCQl'rC. E. 1+ J i XT J gY <1. ^2 1 C

ws T^^ sEg-- W-Xgzv-v 4 oe:Av-Y G9$o3 VNI*-lz crakc-F-4v

SE^C^-AN, sEc6Eq^^

b^c^c^vi w,^a^^vn/, Av3^ w^2ctA b ,

61

In batigeaa, beotigean , cildenigelcyledenigean/cilepenigan (beside forms without the

g(e)) (< Lat. celidonia), and grundeswyl(i)gean (beside grundeswylian) is seen spelling
equivalence of i and ig(e) (cf. Campbell 267, 271; the verb forms are typical of Anglian Campbell 757) .
iii . i is used as a diacritic to indicate the palatal quality of a following g in beigra (beside
begs) and eigliad (beside eglad). Such spellings are mostly found in LWS and late North,
but are also found in Kentish (Campbell 269).
i in feferfuige and jeferfuigan is puzzling. Perhaps these forms are merely scribal errors

forfeferfugie (-ian) (< Lat. jebrifugia).

iv. u for intervocalic j euenmicel (beside efenmicel), feuerfuge (beside feferfuge (< Lat.
febrifugia)), garcliue (beside garclife), hegecliue (beside hegeclife), luuestices (beside
lufestice; for the Lat. etymology see Bierbl under lufestice; and cf. leuastica), saluie (beside
salfige (< Lat. saluia)), sauine (beside safine (< Lat. sabina) (see Campbell 546)),
wuduroue (beside wudurofe). Note also iue (cf. OED "herb Ive"). Such spellings can be found
particularly in late MSS (Campbell 60; Hogg 2.58 n. 1).

v . y for i s wacyan .
vi. io: this spelling is little used in LWS (Campbell 296) . There are two instances in
LL.: sionwe and Priofealdan.
vii . iv < Gmc. is before nasal (usual OE geo-): iondstyriad (beside geond). (Cf.

Campbell 172-5 and Hogg $5 . 60-3) .

viii . Palatal ge before nasalised 6/8 ; utgeongende (LL . ) . This spelling is found in North.
(Campbell 173; Hogg 5.6 1).
ix yi for r y : wvirrind (beside Hrirrinde) . This is probably a scribal error.
x. Vowel length is once indicated by doubling the vowel: doo. This might (but need not
necessarily) be an early feature (Campbell 26; Hogg 2 . 4).

Consonants :
xi. b for normal f: instances in LL. only: deoblu (< Lat. diabolus) (Cambr. MS dioflu),
neabulan (Cambr. MS nafelan) , li[b]re (altered to lifre ; Cambr. MS lifre) . This is a spelling

62

found typically in the eighth-century Mercian Epinal, Erfurt and Corpus Glossaries, but also
occasionally - possibly as deliberate archaisms - in ninth-century Kentish charters and even
in the late tenth-century Durham Ritual and Lindisfarne Gospels (Campbell 57(1) , 444 ;
Hogg 2 , 54 ; Bately [1988 : 102 n. 65]).
xii . d for t : gemildsa (LL.; Cambr. MS gemiltsa) is an etymological spelling (beside
gemi lsigendum (also LL . ) showing LWS is > s) (Campbell 482) . It is conceivable that stond
(2x in verse) also belongs here.
xiii . d for d fi : wordigum, (?)fled. Since the grammars (Campbell 57(5) ; SB 197; Hogg
2 . 59) state that d for d p is only found in the earliest MSS both these instances may well be
simple scribal errors for J . However, Brooks [1961 : xxxvii] speaks of "Mercian confusion of
d and d" in the poem Andreas .
xiv. g represents i in smergenne .
xv. Unctymological addition of initial h : hiejerdan (but the h is perhaps, as Bierb2
suggests, merely an anticipation of the following words hegeclije 7 hymelan; note that
hcpjerda ought probably to have vocalic alliteration with the preceding plant name
ealhtran) , heleleafes (hele < Lat. oleum); see Hogg 7 . 48 . The form -hrofe as seen in
wuduhrofan (beside wuduroje) might conceivably also belong here, but the origin (or origins)
of the

-rofe/-hreje

element(s)

is

unknown

(see

ODES

"woodruff") ;

note

also

giJhrojan/gybhrojan (beside gidrijan) where we might have suffix confusion (cf. generally
Campbell 381-4) .
xvi . h is omitted initially before vowels in isopo and ysopon (both < Lai hysopum) ,
reflecting the development in Vulgar Lat. (cf. Campbell 537). For some forms of this plant
name with initial h- in OEHerb and in a gloss see respectively Bierb2 (hysope) and Bierb3
(vSaPe)

xvii. h is omitted before r in rac3or (beside hrade) and possibly in runlan (in verse,
alliterating with readan) .
xviii. Medial h is absent from the form Bred/eem (in verse) (a variant text has Bethlem)
(Lat. Bethlehem/BethleemlBethlem (LS) ; cf. Campbell 557).

63

xix t for P d : the dental spirant appears as either t or th in 1. 1 (MS K7 THEAFO

D WRfECE for expected WITH HEAFOD WRfECE); t rarely represents a spirant in OE
(Campbe ll 57(7) , 734 (b); if the intended spelling is WITH - th being a spelling found
occasionally in early and very late texts (Ker p . xxxi) and mainly initially (Hogg 2. 59 n-1) the following EAFOD WR^CE is without initial h (cf. doubtfully an instance of eafod- in the
Verce lli Ho milies (ed. Scragg [1992 : lvi])); alternatively cf. (also doubtfulh) instances of the
use of th for spirant + h in personal names in the Moore Bede (Campbell 58(5) n. 6), though
here we would have to suppose ornamental licence to span two separate words. In vie% of
this uncertainty, the scribe's erratic spacing, and the possibility of scribal haplography. I
emend WIT[H] HEAFODKRECE.
Other instances of t for p d are westu ( < *wes + fiu) (in verse) and westo (LL , possiN`
induced by the lemma esto) (cf. Campbell 481(1)) ; cf. P d for t in l .ma . According to Folk
11992 : 3201 such verb forms with enclitic -tu "occur occasionally, especially in
Northumbrian texts" .
xx. jb d : p is more than twice as common as d initially (P 749x (653x excluding the
crossed thorn abbreviation), d 295x), less common than 8 medially (,b 140x, d 355x), and
generally uncommon finally (p 18x', d 388x) (ll. 39 bip, 43 ea/ap, 298 mub, 614 wib, 619
Kl,b, 676 wib, 684 ^ip, 726 ealap, 741 wib, 799 kyfi, 856

858 cx^ep); there are,

however, six instances of final P in Entry LXXVI (the Nine Herbs Charm, verse and prose),
namely wrfi in U. 539, 540, 552, 559, 600 (but wid and final d are still commoner in this
charm) and 1. 55 4 jerep.

In most of the remedies d is commonly found in all three positions, though as the
preceding figures show, P is generally favoured initially. However, the series of short entries
LXXXVII-CXI have only p initially'; also noteworthy is the fact that in all of the thirty
remedies containing OE with dental spirants in initial position from Entry CXLIV to Entry
CLXXXIII - in the part of Lacn. thought by Ker to be a slightly later addition - initial d is
found only seven times' beside well over two hundred instances of initial jb. Initial d is also
'Final p is also sew in 1.921 dulap, but this is not an OE word.
'Entries 1.}MCVII. LA'X'LY-XCIX are also found in BLch using d rather rarely, and only in medial and final
position.

'Once in each of Entries CY1,V (1. 837 do), CLXV (l. 956 drsX CLIP (l. 976 d4m^ CLlOUII (1.999 dad CL7t'1'V

64

absent from Entry LXXXIV (b 14x), and is not common in Entries I-IX (b 27x, d 3x), Entry
XXXI (fi 33x, d 7x), and Entry LXXXVI (,b 23x, d 3x).
Initial d is especially common in Entry LXIII (nearly twice as many d as P; contrast the
following Entry LXIV which has no 0, but b 12x); initial d is also over twice as common ash
in the series of remedies for Peor (Entries LXVIII-LXXM, and in Entry CXXVII (the
metrical charm Wid jcerstice); 0 is also

the favoured spelling in Entries X-XI, and XIX.

When doubled the dental spirant is usually spelled d6 (60x, including I in LL.). Other
rarer spellings are bfi (9x in Entries )CIV, XXIX, XXXVIII, XLIX, LXV (LL.), CLXXII,
CLXXXI, and CLJQMI), Pd (3x in Entries XXXXVIII, LXXI (the Nine Herbs Charm), and
CXXXIII), and dfi (3x in Entries )GV, CLIII, and CLXXV; the first two instances cede/jerdfiincwyrt and Nodpces are perhaps scribal errors for single 6). However, although dd
heavily predominates in the spelling of the words odde and oddcet, it does not do so in the
case of another word: sipPan/sypban (6x), syddan (4x), and sypdan (3x)4 .
In LL. the statistics are initially (,b 59x (including crossed thorn abbreviation), d 41x),
medially (b 10x, d 26 x (including abbreviated oddo)), and finally (,b Ox, d 5x).
Such distribution variations may well reflect the copying and/or influence of different
exemplars.
Note also that there is no instance of a capital d (i.e. D) in the MS folios containing
Lacn. - whenever a remedy begins with the dental spirant it is always spelled P in MS
(capital P is represented in my edition by p).
Both P and 8 are frequently used initially in the same remedy (e.g. Entries VIlI-)CIV,
XVII-XVIII, JCXI-XXIII, XXVI-XXVII, XXIX-XXXQII, XXXV-XXXVI,

VIII-XXXIX,

XLII-XLIV, XLIX, LI, LIV-LV, LXIII, LXV(LL.), LXVIII-LXIX, LXXI, LXXIII,

LXXV-LXXVI, LX?4C-LXXXQII, LX7XVI, CXII-CXIII, CXV, CXVII-CXXI, CXXIII,
CXXVII, CXXXI, CXXXIII-m3QV, CXXXVI, CXL, CXI.III, CXLV).
A count of all the instances of fi and a in Lacn. regardless of position shows
approximately equal numbers: P (913x), d (1033x).

(1. 1 0 8 da), CLXA'VI 0. 1 0 1 0 damp and C LXMMI (l. 1 06 8 da).

'Spelling variants of this word in Beowu fare noted by Hogg 2 .59 n. 4.

65

Sri . p/d for t : gehealdjcestesde (superl . adj . ) (LL. ) (see SB 196(1)). Note also possibly
MS du (emended [t]u in 1 . 188) . Cff, t for P/d in l . xix
xxii . fi for w (i .e . wynn) : [wJry (MS Pry) . This is a scribal error and is emended in the
text .

xxiii . cg for cc : dicge (this spelling perhaps results from confusion with the verb
fiicgan ).

xxiv. hg for medial g: morhgenas. This spelling is found occasionally in LWS, late
North ., and in the Mercian gloss to the Rushworth Gospels (Campbell 58) .
xxv . hch for hh : poh chan . This spelling is occasionally found in early texts, including
EWS (Campbe ll 63 ; Hogg 2 . 60 n. 1) .
xxvi . hs for the group [ks] : alehsandrie (beside alexandri an) (< Lat. alexandrin um) (in

BLch this word is spelled only with x). This is perhaps an early form (Campbell 53; Hogg
$ 2 . 51) . For the spelling xs see l . xxix
xtivii . ng : in addition to normal ng the spellings nc, ncg, and ngc are found - see 4.vii .
xxviii . qw for cw: quite (beside twice) . Rather than considering this qu spelling an
archaic survival (see Campbell 53 ; Hogg 2 . 45 n 1 ; SB 208) GS (p. 22 3 ) believe that it
arose "on analogy with the spelling of Latin plant-names, e.g. quinquefolium" which
precedes quite in Entry XV.
xxix. xs fo r the group [ks] : oxsan , oxsanslvppan (beside oxen ), axscm (beside axan), and

ceasteraxsan . (Campbell 53 ; Hogg X2 . 51) . For the spelling hs see 1 . xxvi.

x:cx Graphic simplification of doubled consonants in compounds : cneowcerce (beside
cneoHwcerce), eahringum (LL.; Cambr. MS eghringurn), and fieohweorjari (LL.) (Campbell
66) . Cf. phonological simplification in 4. xiii .

66

2. PHONOLOGY: VOWELS OF STRESSED SYLLABLES

As stated above, the language of Lacn. is basically LWS, but the following forms call for
special comment.

i. The spelling a is found for:

a) 6/8 before nasal cons.: this sound is sometimes spelled a (e.g. man, land) and
sometimes o (e.g. mon, /once. The common adv. tosomne is only once spelled tosamne (if
the badly executed form is not in fact tosomne), and the related verb somnian is also spelled
with o: Sisam & Sisam [1959: 29, 60] point out that somn- spellings are common in LWS.
The conjunction "and", which is usually represented by the Tironian sign 7, is on a few
occasions spelled out as and in LL., Entry XXXI, and the Nine Herbs Charm (Entry LXXVI both verse and prose); there is no explicit instance of and. The noun/pronoun "man"/"one" is
spelled (both as a simplex and in composition) mon 21 times, and man 52 times; the two
forms are found together in Entries XXXI, L=, LXIV, LXXXIII, CLXII, CLXX, and
CLXXXI. Other, less common, words which appear in both a and o spellings are ampre,
commuc, gangan, hand, lamb (in lambes terse), tang, lancge, loud, Hama (o spelling in LL.),
scanca (LL.), and standan. Words attested more than once in Lacn. with only the a spelling
are Iamb (in wulfes camb), hamonvyrt, Hama, and panne (also heafodpanne).

If we exclude LL., certain words of low sentence stress (see below), tosomne, and
somnian from a count of all the spellings, then a forms are almost a third commoner than o
forms. If one includes tosomne and somnian, but excludes LL. and the low stress words,
Lacn. shows approximately the same number of a and o forms.
In LL.

o forms clearly predominate (e.g. foregongen, from,

honda, strongum,

aunwongnn), there being only one a spelling (heafodpannan (Cambr. MS heafudponnan)).

GS (p. 213) remark that "there is some preference for [o spellings] in verse passages ...

but they seem to be distributed throughout the text". The first part of this statement is
inaccurate and misleading in its grouping of all the verse together: in the verse o is the only
spelling found in the Nine Herbs Charm6 (Entry LXXVI) (hoed, hongode, load (3x), mon,
' Note that GS's (p. 1 761. 4 ) instance of cummu c (foll owed by Bi erb2 under cnmmoc and hi ghlighted in a note) is an
editorial mistake - M S has the unprobl emati c form comm uc.

67

ond, ondan, (?)ongan, stond (2x), wi8stonde, wonnan), and there is but one instance in the
brief poem in Entry CXLIX (monnum) (this being the only instance of &/8 there). In the verse
in Entry CLXI there is both one instance of o (gouge) and one of a (lambyrde); in the verse
in Entry LXXXVI there are only forms with a (ingangan (2x), Kaman, panda, laude (2x)); a
is also the only form found (one instance - land in the verse in Entry CXXVIlb.

Of the remedies that present enough instances to suggest the possibility of a clear
preference for either a or o the following may be noted : XVIII (6 a forms, no o forms),
XXXVI (3 a forms, no o forms), LXXVI (the Nine Herbs Charm, verse and prose) (no a
forms, 14 ((?) 15 with ongan) o forms), LXXXVI (prose and verse) (13 a forms, no o forms),
CLXIII (5 a forms, no o forms), CL7= (7 a forms, no o forms) . Thus the Nine Herbs
Charm is the only remedy with exclusively o spellings . Of the eighty-six entries (excluding
LL. ) containing the sound a/6, twenty show both a and o spellings : e . g. nos . X)M LXIII,
L})CXIII, CLXI, and CL}QX3U; if we also exclude tosomne and somnian this number is
reduced to twelve (7XM XXXI, XLIV, LXIII, LXIV, LXXVII, L=, LXXXII, CLXI,
CLXII, CLXX, CLXXXI) .
For janthalig beside jonthalgunge (with first element < Lai fontem) see Campbell 502
n. 4.
Among Niords with low sentence stress (Campbell 333) - i. e. on, [gone, andbonne - o is
the usual spelling . However, there is one instance of an (in verse) (if the badly executed form
is not in fact on) , and the characteristically LWS form panne is found in Entry LXXXVI
(Campbell 380) ; instr. lion occurs 8x, and it is not clear how many of the instances of Pan
(10x) are instr. as opposed to dat. (with 7 (also note cefterPion (LL . ) beside ceJ4erpan (LL . ));
the LWS (rarely Anglian) form nrrnnig (in mcenigfea/dne, Entry CLXX II) may also be noted
here (Campbell $ 193(d) n. 4, 380).
b) WS ea (breaking of ce before 1 + cons. ) : a/dum (beside ealdum) , alomalt (beside
mealte), bereha/m, gnldor (6x in prose and verse) (beside gealdor in prose), and stalle. The
form aide (in verse, 1. 592) may also belong here, or it could be a metathesized form of adl
"disease". In LL. are found aldordomas (Cambr. MS ealdordomas), alle (3x), alne, and
On the -a- in 1. 566 gena m see Campbell 74 2 n. 1 - analo gy with stcnng nasal verbs of lass 3. The form is
apparently not Anglian .

68

gealdige (but spellings showing breaking are also found there - Peohgeweald, Pryfealdan,
gehealdfcestesde, and geallan). Retraction of cP > a before 1 + cons. is typical of Anglian
texts, but is also not uncommon in early Kentish and certain EWS texts. In LWS ea is almost
exclusively used (Campbell 143; Hogg 5.15, 5.20).
The proper name Rehwalde, like other OE names in -wald, does not show breaking on
account of lack of stress (Campbell 338). It is conceivable that reduced stress on the final
elements of alomall and berehalm might also account for these forms.
Not an example of breaking is fald (older falud, and syncopated after the time of
breaking) (Campbell 397 n. 1; Hogg 5.15; SB 85 Arun. 3).
C> WS C A

ScJa i=- CLt). PKSv-)cs ai-

orI N62C- rnAy PEE A

M.F---UAnI rEO,-^^, (GaM P6fiL "i`19, 250> .

ii. The spelling iv is found for:

a) WS a: hrntte (passive; in verse) (beside hatte 5x). L (p. 163) proposes an etymological
distinction to explain this unusual form -haste < *haitodai, but hcette < *haifidai (see
Bulbring [1902: $393, 433]).
b) WS e: Bcrdleem (in verse; a variant text has Bethlem) (< Lat. Bethleem, Bethle(he)m),
gebriec

(BLch

has

brec),

ungemcetjcestre

(beside

ungemetfc8s[um;

and

BLch

has

ungemetjcestre), and ungemcet/icre (BLch has ungemetlicre). These are perhaps Kentish
inverted spellings (Campbell 289), or they might simply reflect the orthographical
confusion of a, and e that is sometimes found in late texts (see Needham [1976: 7 and
footnote 4] for some instances in MSS containing works by )Elfric); Pcec ("you") also occurs
in the Mercian gloss to the Rushworth Gospels (Campbell 328) - the form is at any rate not
WS; note also ce in stcPmne (cf: stmfn in Campbell 328, Hogg 5.179).
c) WS e (i-mutation of ce): hrcefnes (2s) and hrcemnes (2x). Hogg 5.80 (2) (& n. 4)
notes that hrefn is the regular form, hrtefir being "very occasional". See also Campbell 193
(d) n. 4 (no reference to hrcemn).
d) WS e (i-mutation of nasalized c7/6). The (e spelling is more than three times as
common as the e. Some examples of the ce forms are accenned (2s), accennendlican (LL.),
cengel, rEncglisc, fEngliscne, ccemppum (LL.), dreenc (many times, and only rarely drenc)
hcenep, mcen, onsrnnde, pmnne (verb), wrnnne &c.

69

GS (p. 215), citing Bulbring [1902 : 171] and SB (96 Anm. 8) , consider that the
predominance of the ce (rather than e) spelling in Lacn . points to "SE Saxon dialects
("Sachsische Patois" ... ), which are probably to be localized in and around London, where the
archaic vowel survived into ME times" (for the persistence of the vowel into ME see Jordan
[1974 : 58-9] ; Campbell 291 on ce in the dialect of Surrey; Hogg 5 . 78 n. 3 , 4) .
However, Sisam & Sisam [1959 : 27, 281 , who list a number of texts with the ce spelling
(e.g. Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Tanner 10 of the OE translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical
History, and the Pastoral Care in BL MS Cotton Otho B ii), are of the opinion that this iv
"was not confined to OE manuscripts from South-Eastern disticts, and that it was at least
tolerated over a wide area of Southern England". Hogg 5.78(1) now also rejects Bulbring's
restriction of ce spellings to the Kent border area, observing that "it now seems clear that
these forms had a much wider distribution, and probably indicate localized failures to raise
the sound as far as [e]"; he refers to Kimmens [1979: xxx], writing on OE Psalter glosses,
who observes that "we regularly find ce instead of e before nasals in the two most important
scriptoria in the Wessex capital" and so "we should not be surprised if the form occurs
elsewhere in south-central or southwest England in the eleventh century". See also Gneuss
[1972: 721, and for a list of discussions of this iv form Bodden [1987: 12 n. 2]. Campbell
193(d) remarks that:
In eW-S ie spellings are of great rarity, but in some later manuscripts they are
frequent : they can, however, be mere inverted spellings, for in Angl. and W-S the
sound [ie] no longer existed before m, n, or in some cases they may be due to Kt.
influence, for in that dialect [w] and [e] had fallen fully together and ce and e were
hence equival ent graphs .
He also (261) says that "preservation of te as the mutation of [nasalized] a is of doubtful
provenance" .
The Harley 585 texts of OEHerb and OFI fd0 together similarly show four times as
many m forms as e forms (see OEHerb p. lxviii; de Vriend [1972 : Lam]). Another instance of a
medical text showing ce spellings is the early tenth-century Mercian Omont Fragment (see
Schauman & Cameron [1977 : 306] ; Hogg 5 . 78 n. 3). The predominant ce spelling in Lacn .

70
contrasts with BLch , where the e spelling is usual (see Schmitt [1908 : 82-83]) (le spellings
only rarely (12x) in dreence , cened, hcenne , henna, maeng, Pcenc, wcenge, and wcenne)) .
e) WS e (i-mutation of o) . Two instances in LL.: frcecennisse (Cambr. MS frecennesse)
and hcelum . Sporadic WS instances of ce to represent the i-mutation of o are recorded by
Campbell 198 where it is remarked that the "significance of these spellings is uncertain"
(cf. similarly Hogg 5 . 77 n. 1). Alternatively they might be Kentish inverted spellings
(Campbell 289, and cf. 2 . ii . b above), or they might simply result from late orthographical
confusion of ce and e (cf. 2 . ii .b, and note Fulk [1992 : 335(9)]) . An ce spelling of hcela is also
found in the Harley 585 text of OEMdQ (beside he/an in other MSS) where it may (according
to de Vriend [1972 : lxix]) "be an inverted spelling due to the Anglian raising of ce before
dental consonants" (Campbell 292) . Another possibility (GS p. 215) is that the scribe has
miscopied an Anglian oe (present in LL. in coelnesse , but nowhere else in Lacn. ) . There are
5 such ce spellings in the poem Beowulf (see Cameron et. al. [1981 : A5 . 3]) .
f) WS ea (breaking of a, before r + back cons . ) . An instance of Anglian smoothing of ea
> ce is (according to GS p. 216) marc "(?)marrow" (beside mearh). However, the form merc
might be expected here before the liquid consonant (so LL. mergum) (Campbell 222-4),
though early Mercian glossaries do usually have cP (see Hogg 5.98, citing an instance of
nreerh in the Corpus Glossary). Here it is perhaps more likely to be an instance of
eleventh-century monophthongization of ea > ce (see 2.ii.g), but the reading itself may very
well be corrupt (see Commentary to Entry I3Q.
g) WS ea (of whatever origin). Forms which might result from either general (but not
Kentish) eleventh-century monophthongization7 (Campbell 329 (2); Hogg 5.210, 5.212;
SB 76 Anm.) or earlier Anglian smoothing (Campbell 222-3, 225) are: cegxyrt (BLch has
eagxyrt - see Commentary), gewrteht, and mmhte (LL.).

Other possible instances of eleventh-century monophthongization are ccestercesc (beside

ceaster(esc), cm[c]um (LL., Cambr. MS ceacum) (but these two forms might alternatively be
explained as non-WS by Campbell 185-7), and scf (note that WS generally has a levelled

' his possible that this mon ophthmgisatirn is in fact attcstedm the tenth century - see Campbell 329(2)n. 2 , and
Scra gg [1 98 1 : 241 ( "rare thous n ot unkn own in th e tenth century").

71

into the imp. sg. , and that this expected form - scaflgescaj - is found twice in Lacn.
(Campbell 744)) .
Likely instances of eleventh-century monophthongization are : hoclcef (beside lean,
fyrgenhcefde (in verse) (beside heafod, heafde) , and swcertbyrde (in verse) (beside sweartan
(in verse)); the latter is thought by GS (p. 215) to be a "striking instance of an unbroken ce" ,
but this seems less likely since unbroken forms are especially rare when not in proper nouns
and are usually found only in early texts (Hogg 5 . 16 n. 5); it is also possible that the ce in
swcertbyrde is merely a

dittography (after swceran) . Cf. also 2 . ii . f.

The influence of such monophthongized forms might also perhaps account for the
erroneous spelling eccen (LL. ) (for expected ecean) , if this is not simply a case of scribal
inversion - seeing (and so writing) ae (a,) for ea.
h) WS ie (i-mutation of ea (Gmc. au)). Two instances in LL.: gebcegdum (Cambr. MS
has non-WS gebegdum) (Goth . baugjan) and ales (cf. Goth. lausjan) . Occasional early
(MSS of Bede) or confused (Mercian gloss to the Ruthworth Gospels) instances of ce are
noted by Campbell 200 (7) (and n. 2) and Hogg 5 . 82 n. 1 ; alternatively they might be
Kentish inverted spellings of non-WS e (Campbell 289 ).
i) WS ie (i-mutation of broken ea) . crlj (in celjsidene) (beside LWS ylfa) displays
Anglian i-mutation of a (retracted before 1 + cons . ); wcerc (and various compounds) (beside
LWS x;yrce, eahwyrce,

yrce, Icendenwyrce) displays North. i-mutation of a (retracted

before r + cons. ), but this ce form was borrowed into WS (Campbell 19 3(a) n. 4 ; Hogg
$ 5 . 76 n. 4, 5 . 82 n . 4, 5 . 79 (2)(b) n. 9) .

iii . The spelling e is found for:

a) WS w (Gmc. a) : snegles (beside sncegn . GS (pp. 213-4) treat this as Kentish
(Campbe ll 288), but it could equally well be Mercian of the Vespasian Psalter type
(Campbell 164). Alternatively they might simply reflect late orthographical confusion of a,
and e (cf. 2 . ii .b) . Another possible instance is eferpon (beside hirjerdan) , but the etymology
of this word is unclear (cf. Bierbl cPferfie) .

72
b) WS cs (i-mutation of a (< d/5)) : onbernes (LL .; Cambr. MS onbcernnes). This is an
Anglian form. In WS metathesis of r prevented raising of ce > e (cf. Campbell 193(d)) .
c) WS ce l (non-WS `e) : edre (LL.; Cambr . MS cedran) (beside cedrum), were (LL. ), and
gehwer (in verse) . This is a feature of non-WS (Campbell 128) .

d) WS cep (r-mutation of a) : blece , [mJest (beside mast 3x; but the e here might result
from the influence of me- in the preceding word mela), wedenan (in verse), and leligen (LL . ) .
This is a feature of Kentish (Campbell 288) .
e) (?)WS i s efic (?) = expected ifrg "ivy", but perhaps it is a different word (or a
corruption) .
f) WS l:.Jled (in verse, and possibly corrupt; doubtfully interpreted here as 3 sg. pres.
ind offleon) . An equivalent form Jleed (rendering Lat. fugit) is found once in North. in the
Durham Ritual - see Lindelbf & Thompson [1927: 125] . See also S . ixa.
g) WS ea (breaking of cP before r + cons. ) : Wergulu (in verse) and mergum (LL., beside
mearge outside LL.; Cambr. MS meargum). These are instances of Anglian smoothing before
r + back cons. (Campbell 222). It is uncertain whether merge lle is also to be explained thus
(see GS (p. 216) and Bierb2 under mergelle) . Note also possibly feleferd (LL. ) (similarly
Cambr. MS jeolujerd , but cf. felojearth in the Epina/ Glossary) ; perhaps this form results
from low stress .
h) EWS ea (before x) : ex, exe, exon (LL . ), and wudulehtric . This smoothing of ea > e is
a feature of LWS (also sometimes EWS) . The forms vex (4x) (beside weax 2x) , vexed (2x),
and efenwexende (LL. ) (Cambr. MS emmveaxende) may also be LWS, but the North. (and
more puzzlingly the Mercian) glosses to the Rushworth Gospels also show -e- spellings of
vex and forms of wexan (including wexep) . An Anglian basis for LL. 's efemvexende (and
exon?) is certainly possible (Campbell 223-4 , 312 ; Hogg 5 . 98, 5 . 119-23) .
i) EWS ea (Gmc. au) (before h) : ehsealfe (beside commoner eahsealJ} . Smoothing of ea
> e before h occurs in both Anglian and LWS . (Campbell 225 , 312 ; Hogg 5 . 99 ,
5 . 119-23) .
j) WS "eo : there are two possible instances of this monophthongization
pres. subj . sg. be and acc. neuL dire . Cf. an instance of imp, sg, be

73

(changed to beo by a reviser) in one eleventh-century version of the OE Life of St. Margaret
(see Clayton & Magennis [1994: 102-3, 136], who remark that this feature is "highly
exceptional in manuscripts of this period").
k) WS ie (later y) (i-mutation of ea): wel (3x, beside predominant wyl, wyln, -werc (in
endwerce, Peorwerce, and liferwerce) (beside not pure WS (borrowed from North.) wcerce
and LWS wyrce, eahwyrce, lcendenwyrce, liawyrce; Campbell 193(a) n. 4; Hogg 5.79
(2)(b) n. 9), and possibly dugudmehte (LL.) (beside unmutated and either Anglian smoothed
or eleventh-century monophthongized mcehte (LL.)) (see Campbell 200 (3), 204 (5), 223);
but dugudmehte might alternatively result from WS smoothing of unmutated ea (Campbell
312). These forms are characteristic of non-WS (Campbell 200; Hogg 5.82).
1) WS ie (i-mutation of ea): rec, recels (beside LWS rycels), beret, geledred, and
cepemannum. These are all phonologically non-WS forms (Campbell 200); expected WS
*nedryc is unattested in OE.

m) WS ie (i-mutation of io < breaking before r + cons.): s7nere and smergenne (beside

LWS y in usual smvre). These forms are only found in Entry X and appear to be Anglian,
showing the sporadic change of unbroken i to e (Campbell 154(3); Hogg 5.24 n. 6).
n) WS ie (of uncertain origin in the numeral "ten" (see OED "ten")): ten (LL.) (beside
LL. LWS tyre) is non-WS (Campbell 682, but SB 325 also admits "und weniger streng
w s"); -terse in frftene and seofontene is also non-WS (Campbell 685, but again SB 325
admits -terse in WS).

iv. The spelling i is found for:

a) WS e: h+rga (gen.) "of two". This may be a scribal error - perhaps the scribe misread
twrga "twigs, shoots" for twega (or twegea/hveg(e)ra) "two" (such a mistake might be
explicable giving the context of taking the upper part (ufanwearde) of plants). Alternatively,
nND probably

ro^ likely, twiga might in fact be the

adv. "twice" (Campbell 700),

the scribe having misinterpreted a roman numeral II in the exemplar.

b) WS Y: in LWS y is often unrounded to i before palatal h, c, and g (and groups
containing them): bebicge, bebicgan, drig (beside dryg), drige, drignesse, drihten, and wisce

74

(LL. ) (Cambr . MS wysce); with i for ie are e . g. celmihtiges, felamihtigu, niht, nihterne (beside
nyhterne, nyhternum, and nyhtnicstig), and sihd. Such forms are found in LWS (Campbell
301, 316) .
Despite the following r group is found birgenne (beside byrgenne and gebyrgenne) (see
Campbell 316) .
In other phonol ogical contexts are found : cing, isopo (beside ysopon) (< Lat. hysopum),
fib, libcorna (beside lybcorna), and scitefingre. These may be LWS inverted spellings
(Campbell 31 7).
c) WS eo (from breaking of io before h) : behvin (LL . ) (beside betweonan) . This form
results from Anglian smoothing of io (Campbell 229) .
d) WS eo (Gmc. eu) : gefligan (LL . ) (beside fleogan) (Cambr. MS gefliogan) . This form
results from Anglian smoothing; i for usual smoothed e in class 2 strong verbs is occasionally
found in certain Anglian texts (Campbell 227).
e) WS eo (< i broken to io before h) : asih (3x) (beside aseoh) . This form results from
Anglian smoothing of io (Campbell 222, 229 ; Hogg 5 . 93 , 5 . 95) .
f) WS eo : Pihtan (2x in verse) (biht < Gmc. *Pinxt-) . This form results from Anglian
smoothing (Campbell 229) .
g) EWS ie (LWS y) (palatal diphthongization of e) : gescild (LL. ), gescilden (LL) (both
beside many forms with y, Cambr. MS gescyld, gescylden) .
h) EWS ie (LWS y) (i-mutation of i o ( < Gmc. iu)) : cicena. This form may show Anglian
smoothing of the unmutated diphthong (Campbell 229, 233). However, another possibility
is that it is a LWS inverted spelling with i for y (< WS ie) (cf. Campbell 31 7).
i) EWS ie (LWS y) (in pres . subj . of beonf

: sr (3x, beside sie and usual (LWS and

Mercian) sy). This form is found in LWS and Kentish (Campbell 768(d)).
(Note that a doubtful instance of non-WS uncontracted disyllabic sie in verse might be
1. 556 sy (Campbell 234 n. 2, 237(3))).

v. The spelling o is found for :

75

a) u : clvfdung (beside clufdung) . See Bierb2 and Bierb3 under clujpung for more
instances of the -o- form of this word
b) WS ea (North . a) : swolwan . This form (Gmc. *swalwon) is difficult to explain unless
it is a phonetic spelling (w having had a rounding influence on the following vowel?) or
merely a scribal error . In the same remedy in BLch the form found is unproblematic
swealwan .
G) ^.)S

SCOrvcv"'

^LL^ CP^Sb^ SC.EoNGAN C11%. A(V-0VL4r-- or-N>PA1-,ioNGi7ianJ

N^e^. maq g ^ P re^Ec ^ eN ^E.o^p^

LG^^ t`19, Z6o^

vi . The spelling y is found for:

a) WS e (of whatever origin) : cyrse , fcPncyrsan, fryn:jul, lombes cyrse (beside Jambes
terse ) , lyndenu (LL. ) , swyltad, swylte d , dy/pe (2 person pron., 4x in verse in Entry LXXVI
beside 8e in the same entry), and xyrmod (3x beside commoner wermod). These are possibly
Kentish inverted spellings (Campbell 289 ; Hogg 5 . 194), but see GS (p. 214) for the
suggestion that "scribal confusion with cirsan (genit. ) "cherry"" might account for cyrse
(though this word is not found in Lacn ., BLch , OEHerb or OEMdQ), GS (p. 215) for the
observation that there is no instance of Kentish e from y in Lacn . and the resulting
suggestion that "scribal confusion with lynd "fat" (cf. Olcel . lundir "the flesh along the
back")" may account for lyndenu, and SB 377 Ann. for the possibility of a verb swyltan ; L
(p. 163) may well be right to suggest association with wyrm "worm" to account for wyrmod
(cf. OED "wermod" and "wormwood") .

b) in the group EWS set : LWS syl spellings predominate (syle, sylf, syllendum), there
being only one EWS or non-WS sel form outside LL., sele. It is, however, possible that some
of the syl forms could be Kentish inverted spellings with y for e . LL. has Prymseld and
s vllendum . (Campbell 325-6 ; Hogg 5 . 171 n. 2 ; SB 124).
c) EWS i (in labial contexts and before r) : e. g. ceghwylc, cyrican (beside ciricean),
(beside dimnessa), fyrste, hwylcum (beside hwilcne), lyfiendan (LL.; Cambr. MS
lifrgendan), /yma (beside lime 3x), pysbeana, swylc, swylce, swyle (beside fotswilum), swynes
(beside swipes), swyng (beside swinge), swynes (beside swipes), swymman, swyae (beside
usual swide), symle, wynstre, and wyP (once, otherwise wid). These are typically LWS forms,
3(- SEE. c.v LvwD iQ

76

but y for i in such circumstances (as well as others) can also be found occasionally in EWS
(Campbell 318).
d) WS i (of whatever origin (in other environments)): e.g. clyfian (beside clif- in
clifxyrt), dyles (4x, beside dile), gyf (once, beside usual gin, hryncg (LL., beside hringc),
nyberweard,

nyfiergewend,

nyfieweardan,

nyfieweardne,

ny8owearde,

synd

(a

form

sometimes found in )Elfric's writings), syndon, syde (beside side (2x) and other i forms), and
syddan (12x, beside sibPan only once), nygon/nygan (the usual form in Lacn., beside
nigon Wigan only 4x), and ysgeblced. Note also hyt (Zx, but hit is the norm - as is also the
case with at least some of Elfric's writings (Hogg 5.173) - and hive and him are not found
with y)); there is no instance of ys or nom./acc. sg. neut. bys, only is and is (both many
times) (but other relevant forms of pes are sometimes found in y forms). These may be LWS
inverted spellings (Campbell 317). For hryberes beside hriderum see OED "rother".

e) WS u after palatal sc: gescyldrum (2x in LL.). This form is found in North. (Campbell
181; Hogg 5.68).
f) WS eo (from i broken to ro before h): [w]ry. This form results from Anglian
smoothing of ;o (Campbell 222, 229, and cf. *wrie in 237(2)).
g) EWS ie (of whatever origin): y is the usual form, e.g. cyle, gyrde, hy, smyre, and
yldost (but LWS i is found before palatals - see 2.iv.b). These are typically LWS forms
(Campbell X301); ie appears only in sie (4x).

vii . The spelling ea is found for:

a) WS a (retracted from ie before cons. + back vowel). 4 instances in LL.: heafolan
(Cambr. MS hn eofulan) , neabulan (beside nnfolan outside LL.; Cambr. MS nafelan),
readorlican (Cambr. MS roderlican) , and heagospinnum . The first three of these forms are
characteristic of the back mutation of second-fronted te as found in the West Mercian dialect
typified by the gloss to the Vespasian Psalter. The form heagospinnum (with back mutation
even before velar g) finds parallel in Cambr. MS , the Corpus Glossary (heago-) , the Mercian
gloss to the Rushworth Gospe ls (heage-), and in OEMdQ (heagospind (see de Vriend [1972 :

77
Ixii])) . Campbell 207 remarks that "haga and its compounds often have ea" . See also Hogg
5 . 106 (1) (and n. 4) .
It is possible that behind the root vowel of crcete (nom . pl . ; in verse) lies West Mercian
second fronted iv back mutated to ea and subsequently monophthongised to ce in the eleventh
century (Campbell 329(2)); however, sporadic examples of the analogical extension of ce to
positions before single cons . + back vowel in masc. and neut . a-nouns are attested in OE
(Campbell 161; Hogg 5 . 37(1); see also several instances of pl. forms with ce cited under
BT crcet) .

Note that ealu is regular in WS (Campbell 208 ; Hogg 5. 106 (2) ; SB 109 Arm . 4),
but that Lacn. also has a rarer form with retracted a in alomalt (Campbell 637 records alu
in LWS) .
b) WS e (i-mutation of o) : healan (LL. ; Cambr. MS helan) . Given that there are
instances of the late monophthongization of ea > ce in Lacn. (cf. 2 . ii . g) this unusual form
might perhaps be explained as an inverted spelling of an irregular ce (in *hcelan - cf hcPlum
in LL. ); alternatively, as GS (p. 215) suggest, it might be a scribal corruption of an
unfamiliar (Anglian) oe. Note, however, that Eduard Sievers suggested a different etymology
for this word (L p. 231) - *hauhila.
See de Vriend [1972 : lxix] for two instances of ea for expected e in fElfri c's Grammar

(MS n.
c) WS eo (back mutation of e) : meala (beside meola) . This form may well be Anglian
(particularly North . ) (Campbell 210(2), 278 (b), 281) or possibly early Kentish (Campbell
280), but such spellings do also occur sporadically in WS (Campbell 281).
d) WS eo (Gmc. eu) : ofgeat (beside ofgeot 4x) . This may be an Anglian (particularly
North. ) or possibly Kentish form (Campbell 278 (b), 280-1) , but such spellings also occur
sporadically in WS (Campbell 281) . It is conceivable that the ea is here simply an
inadvertent scribal repetition of the vowel of the preceding verb-form gebeat, on the other
hand the form is next to mid + ace. which may well be Anglian (see below) .
e) Two interesting - possibly corrupt - forms may be noted here :

78
Cearfrlle (beside expected cerfillan and cyrfillan). See Campbell 508 for the
phonological basis of the usual forms of this word (< Lat. chaerefolium). Possibly Lat. ae has
here been mistakenly equated by a scribe with OE ce which, subject to breaking before r +
cons., or diphthongization after palatal c, appears in WS as ea.
Sealuian (beside usual saluie) (< Lat. saluia). GS (p. 216) state that this word "has
entered the language too undergo breaking. The abnormal spelling sealuian ... may well be
due to a scribe's overzealous effort to get rid of Anglian] forms".

viii. The spelling eo is found for :

a) WS i (before velar cons . + back vowel) : neogan , neogon , and neogone ((?)in verse)
(beside nigon and very often nygon) . Back mutation of i > i o before a velar consonant is a
feature of Kentish (Campbell 212) ; occasional instances of Kentish inverted spellings with
eo for io are mentioned by Campbell 297 (and SB 3 25 records occasional Kentish
neogan).

b) WS i (before dental cons. + back vowel) : reodan (in verse, beside ridan in verse)' and
seonuwa (beside sina) . In LL. are found ondwleotan (Hogg 6 . 11 "frequent"; Cambr. MS
omvlite), sceonum, and sionwe (Cambr. MS sina), deoses (Cambr. MS byses), and deosum
(dat. pl . ) . Such forms are typically non-WS (Campbell 205) . However, deosum is recorded
by Campbell 711 in EWS (fieossum also in LWS , and once in the Mercian gloss to the
Vespasi an Psalter) ; deoses is not recorded by Campbell , but is perhaps an analogical form
(cf. the acc. sg . masc . form peosne cited by Campbell) .
The forms weoda (in verse) , weoduweaxe, and weoduweazan (beside wuduweaxan) may
be Kentish (Campbell 219 ; Hogg 5 . 109 (4)) .

c) WS o : beotigean (cf. BT beotian; BTS botian) . This might be a scribal error.

d) WS ea : neorunyse . This might be an early form (Campbell 276 ; Hogg 2. 34), or
perhaps more likely a Mercian one (cf. Hogg 5 . 45 citing e . g. beorn "children" in the gloss
in the Vespasian Psalter) .

'Cf. Beowulf 1. 31 69 pref. pl. nodan, an which see Fulk [1 992 : 346] (who appears to overlook the preset
instance).

79

e) WS ea: smeogan. Possibly reod belongs here too, though, as GS (p. 216) point out, it
might be "an ablaut variant of read ... (cf. OIceI . rjodr)" (cf. AEW reod and read) (or might
it be a scribal error following -eo in heo a little earlier in the line?). These may be North.
forms showing confusion of ea and eo (see Campbell 37 n. 1, 278).
f) WS ie (y) (palatal diphthongization of e) : ondgeotum (LL.; Cambr. MS ongytum) .
This is a non-WS form showing non-WS back mutation of non-WS undiphthongized e (see
Campbell 185, 205, 210).
g) WS ie/i (in *hi (e)w (< Gmc . *hewja-)) : heowe[s]. This -eo- form is non-WS (Wright
& Wright [1925 : 90]) .
h) WS ie (i-mutation of ea < Gmc. au) : neode; this eo is common and perhaps results
from association with the different noun neod "desire" (see OED "need" sb.).
i) WS i e (i-mutation of To < Gmc. iu): onseone (LL . ) (Cambr. MS onsyne) . This is an
Anglian form (Campbell 201(3) , 294-5) .
j) WS ie (r-mutation of io before r + cons. ) : weorped (in verse) . This may be an
unsyncopated Anglian form showing levelling of the vowel from 1 sg. and pl. pres . ind
(Campbell 149 n. 3, 154 n. 3, 733-4); however, weorped is also found in EWS (SB 371
Anm. 2) .
k) EWS ie (LWS y-) (in pres. subj . of beonhvesan) : seo (Kentish or Mercian) (Campbell
768(d)) .
1) EWS ie (LWS y) (i-mutation of To < Gmc . iu) : feond (acc. pl . in LL .; Cambr. MS
fronds) . This is a non-WS form (Campbell 201(3); SB 286) .

ix. The spelling ie is found for WS eo : siendan (beside seondre, seondum) and nom. sg .
fem . sie . These forms may be Mercian (of the Vespasian Psalter type) (cf. Campbell 281 ,
708; Hogg 5.169).

x. The spelling oe is found for WS e (i-mutation of off: coelnesse (LL .; Cambr. MS.
celnessa). This is typically an Anglian form (Campbell 198; Hogg 5.77). It may be added

80

that the suffix -nes(s) regularly causes i-mutation in Anglian, occasionally does so in EWS,
and only rarely does so in LWS (Hogg 5 . 85 (10) (c)) .

xi. The spelling yo is found for:

a) WS i (non-WS (also sometimes WS) io%o from back mutation of i): nyodeweardne,
nyodewearde, and nyodowearde (beside 1 2 or 1 3 forms with -eo-).

b) WS eo (breaking of e before r + cons. ) : hyorthoman (LL. beside heortan ; Cambr. MS

heorthoman).
c) WS eo (back mutation of i): lyomu (LL. beside leomu).

d) WS eo (< Gmc. eu) : dyoh (LL . , beside beoh- in LL. Peohgeweald, beohsconcum, and
fieohweorjan; Cambr. MS leech corrected to deeoft
e) WS eo (< Gmc. iu (Campbell 1 20(3)): hyo (beside heo) and Pyos (beside Peos).
f) WS ier (in WS niewe < Gmc. *newja- (Wright & Wright [1 925: 901 ; Campbe ll
120 (2) , 648 (2)) . Non-WS io eo is behind nyowne (beside niwne) .

The yo spelling is also found in bryodedon (in verse) and dyorwyrt. The etymology of
bryodedon is uncertain (see AEW breodian) . The reading might itself be corrupt (dittography
after bryde? a mistake for bryodwedon?) . The etymology of dyorwyrt (beside numerous
instances of Peor both as simplex and in composition) is also uncertain (see AEW 8eor).
Such yo spellings as are instanced in nos. a-f are usually considered to be late
south-eastern, perhaps specifically Kentish. See especially on this diPaolo Healey [1978 :
36-81 (citing all but one of these Lacn. forms); SB 38 Ann . 4 (whose dating of Harley 585
is perhaps a little late) remarks that "In Hss . der 2 . Half3e des 11 . Jahrhunderts findet Bich
auch yo fair eo, io , z. B. cnyowu Gl ., nyodewearde Harl. 585 (L6cnunga) u. a. wohl als
Besonderheit kent. Schreiber" .

'Despite the dental cons. these -eo- forms are not necessarily non-WS - GS (p. 217), following Bilibring 237 and
SB 111 Anm. 2, point out that the eo spelling of this word is The rule in Elfric and the WS Gospels". See also Hogg
5.104(1) who cites WS ne%or "down" and mokemest "lowest", and remarks (n. 7) that such foams "must either derive
from some WS sub-dialect ... or show occasional extension of belt umlaut to instances with an intervening dental, even in
WS".

81

xii . Vowels between w + r in WS : beside eo (< breaking of e before r + cons. ) in weorp,

weorped, and weorde are found u forms in cwurnstan, gewurbe, and wurde. Coalescence of
weor and wyr may account for the forms weorme[s] (also weormum) (beside wyrm), and
weorcean (also imp. sg. weorc) (beside wyrc(e)an and wyrc), though OED "work" (verb)
thinks the noun weorc has influenced the verb. Spellings in wur are found in LWS, with
LWS texts often having a few wur forms beside many weor forms (Campbell 320-4; Hogg
5.183-7).
Whether wursme shows the change wor > wur is doubtful (Campbell 323 n. 3; Hogg
5 , 186) .

xii i . LW S miht-: miht- forms are LWS , as is subj . mage (beside commoner EWS mcege
(including LL. )) (Campbell 767, pp. 345-6) .

3. PHONOLOGY: VOWELS OF UNSTRESSED SYLLABLES

[Many of the following forms are indicative of the falling together of final unstressed vowels
that is characteristic especially of later OE (Campbell 3 77-9 ; Hogg 6 . 59 . 62)]

i . -a for -e : gingifra (doubtful) . Betonica (expected betonice) , may not belong here but

simply be unadapted Lat. betonica or an OE wk. masc. noun; b etonica is also found in the
Omont Fragment (ed. Schauman & Cameron [1 9 77 : 2 92] ).

ii . -a- for -e- (or -o- or - u-): eordnafala (second -a-, beside eordnajelan, eordnafolan ,

nafolan, and neabulan (LL.)) (cf. Campbell 385).

iii . -a- for -o-:

a . pres. pl. of pret. -pres. verbs : moan (in verse) and sculan (beside sculon) .
b. pref. pl . ind.: a is the commonest form - coman (in verse) , Curran (in verse) ,
gehyrdan, mihtan, ongunnan (in verse), reodan (in verse), ridan (in verse), scendan (in

82

verse), scetan (in verse), wceran, and worhtan (in verse); o occurs in ahengon (in verse),
berceddon (in verse), fncerdon (in verse), hcelon, and wordon. See Campbell 377.

iv. -a- for -o- (or -e- or -u-): sweostar (in verse; beside sweoster). Cf. Campbell 629.

v. -a for -u:
a . acc. sg. of neut . ua-stems: m ela (meola, meala), and smera (beside smeru, smeoru).

b. nom. /acc . sg . of u-stems : supernewuda (4x) and maga (in verse); also probably wudain wudamerce (beside wudumerces) and wudafillart (beside wudufrlle), but here the possibility

that wuda- is gen. sg. might be entertained . Cf. 3 . u{ and 3 . xiii .

vi. -a, -e and -o for -u in nom./acc. pl. of strong neut. nouns:

-a in cyrnla, hrydera, (?)iserna (in verse), hviga, and wcelspera (in verse).
-e in crate (in verse) and leome.
-o in ncespyrlo.

-u is seen in crgru, mrenu, gebedu, lieu (in verse), smeru, and smeoru; furthermore LL.
usually has -u (thus deoblu, lendenu, leom u, lynden u, lyom u, micgernu, and ncesbyr[IJu), but
-a is found in earsenda and lewera.

Note also the numeral acc. pl . neut . fifo.

vii. -ce(-) for -e(-): hander, ntortcere (beside mortere) and Nodbies (in verse). These could
be early forms, but are perhaps more likely to result here from the confusion arising from the
falling together of unstressed vowels; handce might show the influence of o-stem noun
endings (see 5 . i.c) .

viii . -e(-) for -a(-) in:

a . wigpreates (nom. pl . , LL.; Cambr. MS wigpreatas) . This might be a scribal error
(repetition of the gen. sg. -es inflexion of the preceding word weorudes) or a late form

83

resulting from the falling together of unstressed vowels (note the instances of -es for -as cited
by Hogg 6 . 62 , and acc . pl . -raemes cited by Campbell 379) .
b. pres. pl . scrrnced, swylted (beside swyltad), and wexed . These forms may be Anglian
(see Campbell 735(c), SB 360 Anm. 2), or simply reflect the late falling together of
unstressed vowels.
c . firidde (nom. sg. masc . ). This is either a Mercian form (SB 328) or simply a late
form reflecting the falling together of unstressed final vowels .

ix. -e- for -u- : weode[weaxJan (beside weoduweare) - the MS form is partly corrupt. Cf.
3 .v .b.

Y, -e for -u : hmwene. Possibly al so op[eJne (but see 5.vi.a).

xi . -o- for -a- :

a. wk. nouns: beton, cliton, clufehton, Baron (or if dat. pl., -on for -um), eolonon, exon
(LL. ) , jrnttron , glcedenon , meldon , scipteron , uhton and ysopon .

b. infin.; drincon .
See Hogg 6 .60 .

xii . -o for -e (or -a) : blaco .

:iii. -o(-) for -u : smero (acc . sg . ), wudorofe (beside wuduroje) (cf. 3 .vi.b), westo (LL. )
and X30 (LL., following beo) are perhaps induced by the final -o of the Lat lemma esto.

xiv. -u- is preserved (i . e. not > o) in Wergulu (in verse) . This may be an early feature (cf.
Campbell 373) .

xv. y(-) for -e(-): acy (beside ace), abrocyne, cucylere, and u tyrnynde (SB 44 Anm. 8).

84

xvi . -y- for -e- or -i- in the suffix -nes/-nis: spellings with -y- are only found outside LL. neorunyse ,

tyddernysse

(beside

tydernesse) ,

and

untrumnysse

(beside

untrumnesse,

untrumnessum) . These may be LWS forms : the -y- spelling predominates in those homilies of
AElfric edited by Pope [1967-8 vol . 1 : 1781 which are "very close to the standard by which
Late West Saxon has been judged" . For -nes and -nis see 5 . iv .

xvii. -an for -um:

a. dat . pl . of nouns: breostan, eagan, nih tan, siban , sidan, sy[dJan, treowan, and wyrtan;
al so possibly b rceme /beri an. In LL. are found elnbogan and todreoman (Cambr. MS

todreomum) . However, the predominant spelling is -um.

b. dat. sg. of str. masc. and neut. adj .: cecenan , cPlcan (beside celcum ), anan (beside

anum ), berenan, cyperenan, jcegan (in verse), hluttran, hwcetenan (besi de hwcetenum),
sm alan , smeogan , saran , sy/fan , Pinan (beside Pinum), unsodenan , wradan (or pl .; in verse)

and wyliscan .
c. dat. pl . of adj .: easteweardan, ne[o]doweardan , and sylfan.
Such forms are frequent in LWS (Campbell 378). It is, however, questionable to what
extent this is a phonological change rather an analogical spread of wk. inflections (see Hogg
x $ 7 . 101-2) . Cf. apparent instances of -m > -n in the dat . pl. of demonstratives in 4. iv.

4. PHONOLOGY: CONSONANTS

i. -g- in twiga (LL. ) : this is a rare form in WS, but in North. it is used exclusively
(Campbell 700) .

ii. 1-metathesis: prymseld (LL.) (Cambr. MS prynrsetles). It is possible, but most

uncertain, that aide (in verse) is for adle; such a metathesis in this word is otherwise attested
(Campbell 425; Robinson [1985]).

85

iii . Loss of n :
a) aweg (beside on weg) . This can be EWS or late North . (Campbell 474 (1)) , but is
also found in LWS QElfric uses it in his homilies) .
b) in the suffix -ing: pcenig, pcPnega, penegas. The forms -ig- and -eg- (< -ing after n)

are probably LWS (Campbell 474 (5); SB 188 Anm. 3 ) .

c) o (beside on), if not a scribal error for on. Cf. e.g. instances - including possible early
ones - in the Vercelli Homilies (ed. Scragg [1 992: lviii, and under on in Glossary] ); o is also

accepted by CH. On the occasional shortening of on to o in stereotyped phrases see SB

188(2) Anm . 3 (cites "omidden mitten oniht nachts, owope weinend") .
d) pres. subj . pl . sie (for sien) . This may be a North . (or possibly EWS) feature (cf.
Schauman & Cameron [1977 : 307, and n. 63]) , or merely a scribal error.
e) Omissi on of medi al n in drincan (MS drican 3x, besi de usual drincan) (omission of

medial n 2x in this verb is also found in the Vercelli Homilies (see Scragg [1992 : lviii]) and
of final n in pipercor[n] (MS pipercor, beside piporcorn 2x) may well be just scribal errors

and are emended in the text.

iv. n for m : dat . sg . neut . ban . This might be an instance of a doubtful late OE
phonological shift in > n, but alternatively it may simply be a scribal error for Pam (resulting
from minim confusion before the next word nebb e) . Dat. pl .

an is found 4x (including one

in LL . ) (beside Pam , Pmm) , but mechanical scribal repetition of -(a)n cannot be discounted in
two of these instances : 1 . 131 (follows eastweardan) and 1 . 640 (follows nan ... butan ... ) . If
01c; p1hon o logical change m > n is not illusory then some of the instances of Sian may be dat.
sg . (i . e. < Siam) rather than instr. (for instr.

an see Campbell 708) . `0," However, since

forms sometimes intrude into the realm of the "dative proper"" (OES 1345) it
does not appear to be always possible to distinguish instr. an from (putative) dat. Sian .

10 In the Vercelli Ho m ilies th ere are apparentl y frequ ent instan ces ofdan, don for dam (Saagg [1 992 : Ivui]).
Two in stances of daL instr. Pan in Il . 935 and 9 49 are not accounted for in th e latest edition of th ese dianns
M itch el l [1 995: (absent from paradigms 496) ] . de Vriend records on e instance of dat sg n eut. (pa n in OENerb ( 132 8 ^
but s in ce it occu rs before an n- in noddercyne, and since two other MSS have Pam here, it may be a scribal error, dat sp,
neut. pan is appare ntly found in the late OE homil ies edited by Irvine [ 199 3 : l xxv] (which do not show instr.); dat, sg.
masc. Jw n is apparently found twice as a vari ant reading in a late OE homily on the Seven S leepers (ed. Magenn is [ 1 994:
see gl ossary under se]); Plummer [ 1 98 2 : see glossary under se] refers to dat sg, masc. an d neut. fan in th e Anglo-Saxo n
Chron icle.

86

Cf. Hogg 7. 101-2 (also note SB 337 recording LWS dam > clan) and 3 . xvii above .

v. mbel for mel: intrusive b is seen in brcembelleaf (beside brcemelberian) (Campbell

478(1)).

vi . mn for mm : MS . homne (LL. ) (for homm e, so Cambr. MS) . This is probably just a
scribal error and I emend hom[m]e accordingly .

vii . U nvoi ci ng of ng: final -ng i n awringc, mcenc, sinc, (ge)mcengc, hringc (LL.), hryncg
(LL.),

hwilmceringc,

cedelfe rfiincxyrt,

mengc,

swi ngc,

cefieljerdingcwyrt,

and wringc;

cede/ferdfncwyrt,

final

-ng

(in

angcb reoste,

composition)
bringcadle,

in
and

spnngcxyrt; extension of ncg and ngc spellings to medial position in fEncglisc (note that -cis added above the line), bepingce, gemcengce, gemengce, gemo[n]gc[e], hcencgest, lancge,
and loncge. See Campbel l 450; Hogg 7.65.

viii . nn for n d: h eagospinnum (LL.). Cf. Campbell 484 and Hogg 7 91 (11 ho note
benne, bennum "fetters" from bend).

ix. Loss of r: isenes (in verse and beside the earlier spelling iserna), gecendacle (in verse;
probably - gecerndade); also probably haranspicel (BLch has haransprecen. (Campbell
475).

x r-metathesis : -wrcece in

and breostwrcece) (beside wcerc and wyrce)

shoes unusual methathesis of r from behind to before the short vowel . The same spelling is
found in OEHerb (258/7) Peohwrcece, and in eahwrcPCe (altered to -wcErce) in a remedy in
CCCC MS 41 p. 208 (ed C vol . 1, p. 382) . GS (p. 220) believe wrcec is "probably due to a
non-Angl , scribe confronted with an unfamiliar word" . Alternatively, perhaps the re was
confusion with wracu "pain", "misery" (gen . sg . often wrcece) or wrcec "misery" . For
r-metathesis generally see Campbell 459 .

87

xi . t for d: uncommon unvoicing of d in final position is seen in neodoweart (beside

ne%eweard) and ansteallet. Note also the extension of unvoicing to medial position in
Peofentum . (Campbell 450 ; Hogg 7 . 65) .

xii . Loss of w :
a) intervocalic : feor (beside feower) (a form recorded in late North . (Campbell 682 ; SB
171 Arun . 1)) and neolum (LL. ) .

b) levelled away in smergenne . This form is perhaps Anglian (cf. Campbell 4753(5)) .

xiii. Simplification of consonants :

-t- is lost before -s- in dracanse , and ynsan. These can be LWS forms (Campbell
477(1), 533) .
-t- is lost between -s- plus consonant in blosma (a LWS form - Campbell 477(2)), and
dweorgedwos/e (also dweorgedwoslan) (beside dweorgedwostlan) .
The unusual (probably erroneous) form ncPStgrislan (LL. (beside gristlan (LL. ); Cambr .
MS has the expected ncesgristlan) with transposition of -t- might also be noted.
Unusual instances of single consonants : bolan (beside expected bollan 5x), feltere
(beside jelterre; < Lat. fel terse), haban (beside habban) (cf. habad in the Vercelli Homilies
(ed. Scragg [1992: 352 1. 18])), hefignese (beside hefignesse), and wyllene; possibly also
gewrungene (see Commentary to 1. 74). Single c and g in mucwyrt and mugwort (beside
mucgwyrt, mugcwyrt) may be only graphic simplifications (Campbell 66).

xiv. Consonant doubling:

Beside some instances of doubling before liquids (Campbell 453) (i.e. nceddran (also
n(edderwyrt, beside ncedran), actor (also attorlade, attorgeblied) (Campbell 285), hluttor
(beside hlutre), lvddernysse (beside tydernesse), hattre (beside hatre) (Campbell 454),
micclan (beside miclan), and micclum (beside miclan)) there are some unusual doublets in
mdelferdpincxyrt (beside usual iedelferdingcwyrt), ccemppum (LL.), heafodecce (beside usual
heafodece),

hondxyrinmum,

stowwe

(beside

stowe),

and

utganggendum

(beside

88

ingangendum). If Nodpaes is from Lat. nodus then it is also unusual. Although illogical
doubling of consonant symbols is a feature of North. (Campbell 65), these latter instances
are perhaps better attributed to scribal error.
For bettonican (beside usual betonican < Lat, betonica) cf. bettonica in PD (Bierb2
under betoni ca) and medieval Lat . vettonica (a fourteenth-century instance of which is
included in Latham [1965]) .
Another instance of a doubled consonant in cwe[I]endum (MS cwellendum) arguably
shows confusion of cwelan "to die" with cwellan "to kill" (though Mitchell [1995 : 304, and
glossary under cwellendum] would keep cwellendum "killing") .
Note that when a word is divided over a line-end in MS a consonant coming at the end
of the line is occasionally repeated at the start of the ne)t: ea![1Jum (MS eall lum),
ncespyr[IJu (LL . ) (MS ncespyrl lu), o[mp]ran (MS op pran) , and wri[t]an (MS writ tan) .

These instances are all emended in the text.

For Prinn is (LL., besid,ePri nis) see Campbell 287 .

5. MORPHOLOGY

For forms resulting from the falling together of unstressed vowels see 3 . The following
forms are noteworthy :
i. Strong Nouns:
a . i-stems : wyrt is found with both acc . sg . xyrt and wyrte (-e being from the o-stems).
Fem. nom. pl. in -e is seen in wyrte (beside wyrta), brvde (in verse) and cwene (in verse); this
may well be an Anglian feature (Campbell 603-4), but, particularly perhaps in the case of
the latter two words which are in close proximity to nom. pl. neut. crcete (with u > e) in
Entry LXXVI, the possibility that these forms (and others below) might alternatively result
from vowel harmony cannot be discounted; however, Entry LXXVI does contain several
other Anglian forms.

89

Fem. acc. pl . in -e is seen in glede , wyrte (8x) (beside commoner wyrta) , dugudmehte
(LL. ; Cambr . MS dugudmihta) , and fyste (LL. ) . This feature is characteristic of non-WS, but
"rare" instances are also found in EWS (Campbell 60 3 -4) .
If gen . sg. wyrt is not simply a scribal error for wyrte it may be a late endingless form.
b. o-stems : lufu (gen. sg. fem . in LL. ; Cambr . MS has wk. lufan) can be an Anglian or
LWS form. (SB 252 Anm. 2 ; Campbell 587).
Acc . pl . in -e is seen in eaxle (LL . ; Cambr. MS eaxla) , elne (LL. ; Cambr. MS elna),
folme (LL.), h ealfe (2x) (beside h ealje), hom[m]e (LL.), and worulde (in verse). This is a

characteristic of non-WS, but such forms can also be found very occasionally in EWS
(Campbell 586).
c. u-stems : hand (dat . sg . fem. ) also possibly hoed (in verse). This endingless form may
result from the type of confusion of acc. and dat. cases first attested in North. (SB 274 Arm .
2)
handrr (dat. sg . fem. ) . This form may result from the influence of o-stem noun endings,
or from the falling together of unstressed vowels. See Campbell 613-4.
d. io-stems : nom. pl . in -e is seen in la8wendnesse (LL. ) . This is a non-WS feature
(Campbell 590) . Acc . pl . in -e is seen in cendebyrdnesse (LL. ) and syrtne (LL. ) .

e. uo-stems : acc. pl. in -e is seen in sionwe (LL. ; Cambr. MS sina). This is a

characteristic of non-WS, but such forms can also be found very occasionally in EWS
(Campbell 594-5 and cf. 586) .

ii . Weak Nouns :
a . Beside wk. nom . sg . uane is found fanu, a by-form declined according to the o-stem
declension . The possibility of instances of str. oblique case by-forms is considered in 6 . i.
Such forms are chiefly found in WS (Campbell 620(4)) .
b. hcegtessan (2x, in verse) may show gen. pl . in -an on one or both occasions. This may
be a late feature . See SB (276, Arun . 5) and especially Hoad [1994] on this feature (but
neither mentions these possible instances) .

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iii . Minor Declension Noun:

Athematic : esa (expected form *osa) (in verse) appears to show extension of the
i-mutated vowel of the nom. pl . (OIcel cesir, OE nom. pl. unattested) to the gen. pl. (see
Campbell 622; SB 281 Awn . 4 compares an instance of gen. pl. foeta beside fota in the
North . gloss to the Rushworth Gospels in Anm. 3) . However, Sandmann j1975 : 91] would
derive a nom . sg. form *es from Gmc . *ansio (fem. lo- stem) .

iv. The Suffix -nes:

The commonest form both within and outside LL. is -nes: cendebyrdnesse (LL.),
a,bundennesse, coelnesse (LL.), deadlicnes (LL.), drigrtesse, dimnessa, dymnesse, gefylnes
(LL.), heannesse (LL.), hefignese, hwyrfnesse, idelnes (LL.), la6wendnesse (LL.), onbernes
(LL.),

gescyldnesse

(2x,

LL.),

stilnesse,

tydernesse,

ungehyrr;esse,

untrumnesse,

untrumnessum, and wo/[n]es; -nis is found only in LL.: annis, annisse, frcecennisse, brinis,
andPrinnis (Cambr. MS only has -nes forms).

According to Campbell 384 -nes is mainly WS, while -nis is characteristic of certain
Anglian terms (see also Vleeskruyer [1953: 128-31]). For -nys (with y for e or i) see 3.xvii.

v. In the form wrenu is seen the addition of a -u inflexion which ought originally to have
been lost after the long syllable (the -e- being a rare parasite vowel) ; cf. the eleventh-century
OE gloss to Defensor's Liber Scintillarum (ed. Rhodes [1889 : xv]) for numerous instances of
other long-stemmed neuters with nom./acc. pl. in -u.

vi. Adjectives :
a . open (str . nom. sg . fem. beside corresponding nom. sg. fem. opjeJne in accompanying
verse). According to Campbell (643(5)

the form should be openu (with which op[eJne

might be equated with -u > -e in accordance with vowel harmony), but according to Wright
& Wright [1925: 4291 it should be open. Perhaps op[e]ne might here be a poetic use of the
weak declension.

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b. smale (str. instr. sg . neut. 11 . 614 , 706) . GS (p. 227) treat this as a "transition" form
"for smalan or smalum (n[eut] . dat . sg . )" , but it may rather be Anglian or EWS (Campbell
638).
c. with the exception of blaco (see 3 . xiii) str. nom ./acc . pl. fem . is always in -e (never
-a): e. g . ealle, micele and nyopowearde. Though W S has -a prevailingly, -e forms are also

frequently found (Campbell 641).

d. str. long-stemmed nom./acc. pl. neut. in -e: alle, ealle, gebrcedde, Nude, hwcetene,
Ore (LL . ), and (probably) wundswide (in verse) (Campbell 641 ; SB 293 Anm. 3) . Scragg
[1992 : lxiv] calls this feature "general late OE" .
e. endingless str. acc. pl. neut. (apparently) in lytel (in verse) (see SB 293 for
comparable halig) .
f, absence of syncope in wyrrestan is possibly indicative of Anglian (Campbell 659) .
g. endings of superl . adj . (and adv . ) : -ast is seen in swipast, archaic -ust in hatust, and
-ost (< -ust) in hatost, yldost, and swi,bost. The commonest form is -est (serest, ceresta,
cedeleste, wyirestan), the -e- resulting from vowel harmony (Campbell 657),

vi i . Pronouns:
a. mec (8x, only in LL. (beside me ); Cambr. MS has only me) . This is typically an
Anglian form (Campbell 702); it is doubtful whether mic is OE, but the form is attested in
Anglian.
b. Pirc is typically an Anglian form (Campbell 702 ; and cf. 2 . ii.b above) .
c. heo (acs. sg. fem. in LL.) may be an Anglian (Mercian) form (Campbell 703; SB
334 Anm. 2).
d opur (acs. pl . neut. ) : perhaps a scribal error for opru .

viii. Demonstratives:
a . be is once used for dat. or instr. sg. neut. (cf. occasional uses of fie to denote dat. sg.
neut. in the very late OE homilies edited by Irvine [1993 : 1xxv]) .

92

b. dare (beside frequent Pcere) is common in LWS , but is also found in early Kentish
(including Surrey) (Campbell 708) .
c. Pis, Pys (dat. pl . beside Pysum in the same Entry (CLX7XQI)) , and Pys (gen. sg .
masc . ) : these endingless forms are not to be found in the grammars . Another late instance of
dat . pl . jbis (swa hwa swa on Pis brim dagum) is attested in the Vercelli Homilies, whose
editor remarks "Pis (,bys) .., is perhaps in process of becoming a fixed form without
inflection" (Scragg [1992 : Ixv-lxvi]) .

d. instr. sg . masc. pysse (in verse) may be, as Sandmann [1975 : 107 n. 28] proposes, a
North. form (Campbell 711 gives disse ; see also SB 338 Arun. 4). Alternatively it might be
considered an instance of late OE case marking irrespective of gender.
e. gen. pl. Pysra (beside pyssa 4x) can be LWS (or Anglian) .

ix. Strong Verbs :

There are instances of both syncopated and unsyncopated forms of the 3 sg. pres . ind
The following forms show restoration of the radical vowel :
a. Syncopated cu ed and fled (in verse) . The former might be EWS or Kentish (see
Campbell 733(b), 734; see also on this form Commentary to 1. 646). The latter has almost
always been considered corrupt, but an essentially equivalent form Heed (with expected -d,
and doubled vowel indicating length) is found glossing Lat. fugit in the North. gloss to the
Durham Ritual (ed. Lindelof 8t Thompson [1927: 125]; see the also reference to this form in
SB 374 Anm. 6 where Jleed should readfleed); OED "flee" records North. fled.
Stond (2x in verse) is either another unmutated syncopated form (mutated scent is
expected, but slant is attested) or a scribal error for stondea.
b. Unsyncopated blowed, weorped (in verse), and xreced (in verse).
Unsyncopated forms without restoration of the radical vowel are: ceced, blinned, byrned,
and vexed. Unsyncopated forms are characteristic of Anglian, but can also be found in
Kentish and occasionally in WS. Restoration of the root vowel (especially of o and eo as in
blowec3 and weorped) is generally Anglian (though the Vespasinn Psalter always has cwi6),
but e is often restored in Kentish and LWS (Campbell 733-4; SB 371 (and note Anm. 3)).

93

c . forleort (3 sg . reduplicated pret. ind. ) (LL. ) is typical of Anglian (Campbell 746).

d. There seem to be a few instances of strong verb subj . used in place of second person
sg. imp.: drince and ete (followed by imp. dige) in 11 . 505 -6 drince nygon morgenas 7 ete
secgleac 7 cropleac 7 cymen tosomne 7 ncenigne operne wcstan ne dige ; 1. 846 genime
(followed by imp. drig and scad); genime and ete (on either side of imp. sup) in ll . 692-3
genime wegbrcedan; do on win; sup Piet wos, 7 ete pa wyrta (readings supported by MSS of
OEHerb - see Commentary to Lacn . Entry CIII) ; 1 . 254 singe (after imp. sing and ambiguous
long-stemmed weak verb crime) ; 1 . 509 gesinge (following imp. ofgeot) ; 1 . 602 singe
(following imp, sing) . For discussion of second person sg. subj . forms where imp . might be
expected in OE see OES 892

and 908-10; note also that Campbell 767 n. 1 (p. 345)

refers to a "subjunctival imper[ative] sg . " in late OE in the verb gemunan "to remember" .

Cf. possibly instances of the late OE restoration of apocopated -e in long-stemmed weak

verbs in the imp. sg. (S . xh) .

x. Weak Verbs:
a. hajs bu. 2 sg. pres. ind in -s rather than -st might be a North form. (Campbell 762;
cf. syncopated Mercian acers du and North. gehers du cited by Fulk [1992: 320]). Note,
however, d for t in l.xxi.
b. There are few instances of class I wk. verbs in the 3 sg. pres. ind, but beside still are
found unsyncopated jered and ferep (both in verse), gelyhted, and swcsted. Unsyncopated
forms are typical of Anglian, but can also be found in WS (especially - as is not the case here
after liquids and nasals), and in Kentish (Campbell 751(1)).

c. coliad (with the -i- added above the line) may well be an Anglian 3 sg. pres ind
form, but this is doubtful since it could be a WS pres. ind pl. or an imp. pl.
d ferde (in verse). I tentatively interpret this form as syncopated 1 sg. prey ind
"to carry". Cf. Campbell 752 (also SB 401 Anm. 1) which cites the rare syncopated forms
digden, wegdan, and scedde (but no instances from verbs in -ian). Alternatively, it might
simply be a scribal error for the expected form ferede. The possibility that the verb is in fact
feran "to go" cannot be discounted - see Commentary.

94

e. a for o in pret. and pa, ptc. of class II:

In -ad(-) are adeadad (BLch has adeadod), afandad, gecendade (2x in verse),
gecendadest (in verse), gehalgade, gemcersad (in verse), gewunad, and renadest (in verse).
In -od(-) are ameldodest (in verse), gehalgodes (2x), hongode (in verse), and gewunod.
In -ed(-) is bryodedon (in verse) (though it might have been influenced by the final -e of
preceding word, bryde).
In -ud- is gecnucude (either a survival of an early form or LWS - SB 413 Arun. 2
"offenbar als umgekehrte Schreibung fair o").
Forms in -ad(-) are generally typical of Anglian and Kentish rather than WS, but they do
predominate in the EWS MS L of the OE Orosius (Bately [1980: xlvii]) and are also to be
found occasionally in LWS; -od(-) predominates in WS and LWS; forms in -ed(-) are not
dialectically specific. See Campbell 757.
f. gefultmige (2x in LL. glossing Lat. imp. sufJragare) (Cambr. MS has the imp. sg. of a
different class II wk. verb, gemiltsa) may be an Anglian (particularly North. ) imp. form
(Campbell 75 7), if it is not a third person subj .; in the next line the gloss has imp. gemildsa
for Lai imp. miserere ; 1. 131 scearfige (following imp. nim , and itself followed by
ambiguous wylle) and 1. 168 nyttige (following imp. aseoh and ambiguous do ) may also be
noted here.
g. gemyne (possibly imp. sg . rather than subj . sg. in view of 1 . 555 Fleoh) (in verse) is an
Anglian form (Campbell 767 (suggesting class III wk. ) ; SB 423 Anm. 2).
h. Restoration of apocopated -e in imp. sg . of long-stemmed weak verbs :
It is often not possible to distinguish certainly between such forms and identical subj .
forms, but context suggests that instances of this phenomenon may include the following:
clceme (1. 614) (a variant version has imp. clcen), drige (1. 81), gebcerne (1. 683) (BLch has
imp, gebcerrr), gemcengce (1. 716) (similarly BLch), gesylte (1. 716) (so too BLch), menge (1.
29) (a variant version has imp. meng), nemne (1. 77), sece Q. 59), wylle (11. 82, (?)131, 626,
1023), and wyrce (11. 615, 667). Other possible instances include drype (1. 15), arime (1. 253),
gemengce (1. 184), and wese (1. 680) (so too BLch).

95

GS (p . 226) say this is a LWS phenomenon, but Campbell 752 notes that it is also
found in North. and in the Mercian gloss to the Rushworth Gospels.

A . Anomalous Verbs :
a. From the verb beon/wesan are found both subj . sie (sy, si , seo) and beo (be) . The
former is typically EWS, Kentish, North., and Mercian (of the Vespasian Psalter type); the
latter is found in EWS, the Mercian gloss to the Rushworth Gospels, and is the prevailing
form in LWS (Campbell 768(d)). Note also that both imp. sg. wes and beo are found (so too
LL.).
b. doa (if the correct reading is not in fact do a) is an imp. sg. form also found in the
Mercian gloss to the Rushworth Gospels (Campbell 768(b)) .
c. de (pres . subj . sg. for expected do) is not found in the gramm ars. P erhaps EWS or
Anglian analogical doe lies behind it - a LWS scribe might have misinterpreted this -oe as
an instance of Anglian (but occasionally also EWS) i-mutation of o > oe, which he would
represent by e . For EWS and Anglian doe see Campbell 768(b) .
d. An instance of an otherwise unprefixed pa. ptc. lacking the usual ge- prefix is don .
e. OE -an , -en in subj . pl. of both strong and weak verbs :
Outside LL. only -an is found: bebicgan, crawan, eglian, hnexian, dean, steorfan,
swel/nn, swymman (possibly), and tyran. This is typical of LWS (Campbell 735(f)). In
contrast LL. always has -en: foregongen, forlceten, gescilden, lelrgen (Cambr. MS has -an,
-en, and -on).

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6. SYNTAX

The OE passages in Lacn . consist largely of simple lists of ingredients and of

instructions in the imperative or subjunctive and so generally do not offer much scope for
syntactical comment . However, the following points seem noteworthy :

i. A problem is sometimes provided by lists of plant names, in that it can be difficult to

determine whether a noun is nom. or acc ., sg. or pl .
The following constructions are found:
a . Verb with object(s) in the acc . sg. E . g. ll . 117-9 nim elenan 7 rcedic 7 cyrfrllan 7
hrcemnes fot, 1E'ngliscne ncep 7 finul 7 supernewuda and ll. 223-4 genim marubian 7 pia

lancge cliton 7 wermod 7 boden, gearwan, betonican godne dcel.

That the number in lists is, as Bierbl and Bierb2 think,

normally sg. seems likely

judging from, in addition to occasionally unambiguous sg. forms such as 1. 747

nyodeweardne hymlic or 1. 760 seo reade netele, the numerous instances of unambiguous
gen. sg. forms (e.g. U. 26 dyles blosman 7 hamorwyrte blosman, 58-9 han:orxyrte handfulle
..., and 980-6 merces sced drige, 7frnoles sced...), and the absence of gen pl. forms.
b. Verbless list in the nom. sg. E.g. 1. 760 jeferfuige 7 seo reade netele de jiurh tern 7
wegbrade .

c. The verb sculan + list in the nom. E . g. (with betonican possibly being nom. pl. )
Entry XXXIV -ins wyrte scu lon to lungensealfe: banwyrt 7 brumvyrt, betonican 7

streawberian wise, supernewuda 7 isopo, saluie 7 sauine 7 rude, garclife 7 hcesel, twice,
medewvrt, dolhrune.

Difficulties arise when these constructions are followed by noun forms that appear, at
least at first sight, to be :
a . morphologically nom. where act . is expected. E . g. U . 507-8 nim bias wyrte
nyofiowearde, fi nul 7 bisceopwyrt, cescprofe, ealra efenmicel; byssa hviga mcest ufomvearde,

rudan 7 betonican in which we might expect not ascprote, but act. sg. cescbrotan after nim
(cf: rudan 7 betonican), the latter being in fact the very form found in this remedy as it

97

appears in LchBk3. However, the form cescprote may be acc. sg. if, as is often the case with
WS short syllable wk. fern. nouns (Campbell 620(4)), it is a by-form declined according to
the o-declension. The issue is complicated by the immediately following, and very probably
associated Entry LXX (for which there is no extant variant version), where we seem to have
the verb niman followed by direct objects in the nom. (note unambiguous nom sg. fem ontre
neodoweart, though betonican could of course be acc.): ll. 511-3 nim Jas wyrte
neodowearde: ceastercesc, ontre neodoweart; Jas ufonwearde: betonican, rude, wermod,
acremonia, felterre, wudupistel, feferfuge, cepelferdfngcwyrt.
The explanation of strong by-forms may possibly account for 1. 957 bete in nim cost 7
sudernewuda, hylwyrt, garclrfe, bete die bid ansteallet (but the long syllable -clif- in
neighbouring wk. fem. garclife is problematic), I. 119 sideware in do du pipor 7 sideware,
gallengar 7 gingifre 7 rinde 7 lawerbergean 7 pyretran (but the nearby wk. fem. gingrfre is
problematic), and 1. 516 feltere. However, scribal error over the governing case might also be
the explanation of some of these: cf. possibly the series of scribal corrections of -e to expected
wk acc. -an forms in U. 39-40 wudufillan (< wudafrlle), eoforprotan (< eojorprote), and
isenheardan (< isenhearde); note also 1. 162 hegerrfan (< hegerife).

b. morphologically acc. (if sg.) where nom. is expected. E.g. R. 204-5 Wid sidwcerce:
betonican, bisceopwyrt, eolonan, rcedic, o[mpJran da de sxymman, marufian, the list
continuing with forms that seem to include several nom. sg. wk. nouns (grundesxylie,
cropleac, garleac, rude, hielede, ealhtre, hune). Here it may not seem likely that betonican
and eolonan are nom. pl. since the intervening bisceopwyrt must be sg., but given that
o[mpJrnn ... swymman appears to be pl., this cannot be discounted (see below for some more
possible instances of pl. plant names). It may be the case that, either the ostensible
accusatives result from scribal carelessness over the appropriate case, or that a verb
governing the acc. is left unexpressed or has dropped out; the latter may well be the
explanation for 1. 4 hindhceleda 7 grundeswylgean 7 fcencyrsnn 7 gidrifnn (which appears in
BLch as genim heahheoloban 7 grundeswelgean 7 fencersan 7 gitrifan), for 1. 675
angelhviceccan (though this might be nom. pl.) (BLch has genim angolhviceccean), for 1. 676
safinan (BLch has genim safinan), and for 1. 823 scipteron, swefl, pipor, hwit sealt (BLch has

98

ni(m) sciptearo 7 swefl 7 pipor 7 hwit sealt). However, in some instances it is possible that
apparently acc. case reflects a following verb: 1. 11 aluwan; gegnid in eced (but aluwan might
be nom. pl.), 11. 501-2 frnolscEd, betonican leaf grene, acrimonian nyodewearde; grid to
duste, and 1. 673 brunewyrt, merscmergyllan 7 reade netlan; wel on buteran (so too BLch
and the Nowell transcript). Perhaps - if apparently acc. case forms may reflect a following
verb - the examples in ll. 4 and 823 (just cited) might be explained in the same way.
Other possible instances of wk. nom. pl. (rather than acc. sg.) plant names may be - if
they are not scribal errors - 1 . 49 dweorgedwoslan (amid a long list in the nom. ) (Bierb2 says
acc . sg . ), 1 . 80 eordgeallan (Bierb2 says acc . sg . ) , 1. 127 ealhtran 7 hceferdan ... hymelan ,
gearwan 7 geaces saran, belenan (all treated as acc . sg . by Bierb2) , 1 . 241 fanan ... pollegian
(Bierb2 says acc. sg . ), and betonican in U . 125 (GS translate "betonicas") , 154 (GS translate
"betonicas"), 236 (GS translate "betonys") , and 512 (GS translate "betony") (all except 1 . 236
are treated as sg . by Bierb2) . As we have seen there may be one unambiguously pl . plant
name in 1 . 204 o[m]pran da de swymman (but see Commentary thereto) .

For brief consideration of this diffi cult issue with regard to BLch see Schmitt [1908 :
20-1] .

u. The address to the maker of the remedy is most often in the imp. - e.g. nim "take",
wyll "boil". Sometimes the subj. with subject man "one" is found (and can be translated in a
passive sense). In Entry XXXI ll. 133-7 the two alternate: Nim is followed by ... mylte mon ...
7 geote; somnige mon ... cnocie man ... 7 seode 7 ,Jl'eote ... wyrce ... nime ... which is
followed by scearja.

The subj. is sometimes used without an accompanying or preceding pronoun or noun

subject to refer to the patient (rather than the maker/administrator of the remedy), e.g. 1. 8
gelicge upward "let him lie face up", 1. 231 ete "let him eat", 1. 234 drince "let him drink",
and 1. 670 sitte on cealdum wrntere "let him sit in cold water". Instances with a third person
pronoun are U. 45, 214, 216, 220, 222, 601, 602, 603, 611-2, 671-2, 727, 728, and 745.

99

ii i . Uses of the dative case .

a . The "dative absolute" construction is used twice in the following passage (ll . 1028-30)
in Entry CLX3QQI :
.. Pcet is donne utganggendum Siam monde Pe we Aprelis hata6 se nyhsta
monandceg an; donne is osier ingangendum jam monde die we Agstus hatad se
ceresta monandceg.
Such infrequent OE constructions are modelled on the Lat. ablative absolute construction
(Quirk & Wrenn [ 1957 : 111]) . Here they may well indicate (together with other factors - see
Commentary) that this remedy is translated from a Lat. source . Note also the glosses gode
syllendum : Deo dante "with God giving" (LL., Lacn . U . 487-8) gemilsigendum gode: miserto
Deo "with God showing mercy" (LL., Lacn . U . 495-6) .
b. Two instances of the so-called "dative of interestJspecification (OES 1355-6) are
found : 1 . 138 swa mice! swa fiu sealje haban wi //e "as much as you want to have for/in the
salve" , and 1 . 799 Wyp lungenadle hriderum "for lung-disease in cattle" .

iv. Prepositional constructions :

a. LL. has one possible instance of from + acc.: 1. 415 from mec (Cambr. MS has dad
me ) . This apparent exception to the rule that (OZ'S 1188) "From is found only with the
dative/instrumental" may be an instance of the confusion of the acc. and dad case forms mec
and me found occasionally in North.
b. The few instances of mid with the acc. (1 . 61 (Entry XVIIn, 1. 323 (LL .; Cambr. MS
has dat. him) , 1. 662 (Entry LXXXVII) , and 1. 699 (Entry CVI)) rather than as usual in Lacn .
the dat./instr. might be indicative of Anglian origins, but the construction is also found a few
times in Alfredian texts (DES 1194-5; Vleeskruyer [1953:64]; Folk [1992: 355(1)]).
c . There is a single demonstrable instance of um ("against", "as (a cure for)") governing
the gen. in 1 . 702 Wid healsomena. Two other possible instances (interestingly in quite close
proximity to 1. 702) might be explained in other ways: -a for dat. sg. -e in 1. 688 Wid
morgenwhetunga (or possibly -a i s acc. pl .) and 1. 696 Wid eagena Ceara (cf. 11 . 973-4 wrd

100

earena dimnessa amid a list in the dat. ) . There is apparently no instance of wid + gen. in
OEHerb or OEMdQ (see de Wend 11972 : viii] and the glossary in OEHerb) .
d. wid ("against" , "with" , "towards") frequently governs the dat. (generally commoner
the acc . ) case in Lacn . According to L (p. 159) (and so Fazakerley [1945 : 50]) this is
characteristic of Anglian, but OES does not confirm this, and Vleeskruyer [1953] makes no
comment on an instance of wid ("against") + dat. in the OE Life of St. Chad (1. 232) . The
EWS Orosius has a few instances of wid ("against" , "with") + dat., but predominately uses
the acc. (see Glossary in Bately [1980 : 405]) . The Vercelli Homilies show wid ("with",
"against") governing both acc . and dat. (see Glossary in Scragg [1992 : 475]) ; so does
OEHerb (see Glossary thereto p. 386) . There is no instance of wid + dat. in the LWS
homilies of )Elfric edited by Pope [ 1967-8] .

v . Adjectives :
The following instances are all from the prose.
a . Use of weak declension without accompanying demonstrative : 1 . 14 streawberian
nypeweardan and 1 . 175 miclan eordnafolan . These are probably scribal errors for
respectively streawberian nypewearde and done miclan eordnafolan .
b. Use of strong declension with accompanying demonstrative: 1. 223 pia lancge cliton .
c . Lack of concord : 1 . 63 done bledendefic and 1. 232 dreo s[n]ceda swa hates (probably
expected *dreo s[nfieda swa hate (cf. 1 . 6 mid Siam wyrtum swa hatum)) ; the -s in hates is
may be merely a scribal anticipation of the first letter of the following word slcPpdreenc, but
perhaps there is a possibility that hates is here a substantival gen. sg. "hot (thing)" (i. e. the
hot brrw) .

vi. Verbs:
a. The imp. is usually unaccompanied by a personal pron. subject in Lacn., but this is not
always the case. In the following lines Pu immediately follows a verbal imp.: 11. 119, 121,
528, 531, 535 (in verse), 555 (in verse), 557 (in verse), 840, 850, and 764 (in verse). Only

101

once is an imp. preceded by an accompanying pron ., 1 . 251 au sing. In the verse the imp. is
always accompanied by a pron. subject.
For instances of pronouns enclitic to imp. verbs in Lacn. see l .xrviii and l .xy,
b. There is one instance of the verb nyttian governing the acc. rather than the gen .
(nyttran + acc. is not recorded in OES 1092) . However, it might be a scribal error caused by
a preceding (also a following) hy: 1. 82 [hJeald by ofer winter, 7 nytta by bonne de dearfsy;
wy/le by on ealad.

vii . A possible instance of the use of sum as an indefinite article (or adj . of indefinite
specification) is ll. 721-2 /cet sigan ut on sum fcet ("let it drain out into a vessel") where there
is no reason to suppose that any one particular kind of vessel is called for. On this issue see
OES 236, 387.

viii . Lacn . contains one instance of a rare construction - mr donne followed by a clause
containing a verb: 1 . 214 cPrdonne he ete . See DES 2727.

7. VOCABULARY

i. Lacn. contains a large number of words (nouns, adjectives, verbs, and one doubtful
adverb) that are unattested elsewhere in OE 12 (the following forms are those of the headwords
in the Glossary, and so are not always those found in the text; words not to be found in BT,
BTS , or BTC are underlined) :
a. nouns: alomalt "malt for brewing ale", anorgeblcPd "blister or other swelling caused
by poison", bansealf "bone-salve, salve for bones", benedicte (?)"herb Bennet", berehalm
"barley-stem,

barley-straw",

(?)bol

"bole,

trunk,

stem",

"broad-

bisceopxyrt", brcPme/berie "blackberry", breostnyrwett "constriction of the chest", brinQCadl

(?)"breast- disease, chest-disease", (?)burs (str, fem.) "scrotum", cassucleaf "blade of cassuc",
12 Many of these words are, however, compounds noun s whose constituent elements are well attested in OE.

102

cawelleaf "cabbage-leaf', cawelsced "cabbage-seed", clipwyrt either "greater burdock" or

"cleavers", cristalle (or -a) "the plant crystallium" (see Glossary), cumicge "cow's urine" (or
treat as two words, cu micge), cu

e ul "cupful", dott "head of a Blain or swelling", dunhunig

"downland honey" ((?)or "dun-coloured honey"), endwerc "pain in the buttocks", ex (str.
fem.) "brain", fcPrspryng "sudden/dangerous pustule or ulcer", fierstice "sudden/severe
stabbing pain", finolsc8d "fennel-seed", (?)Finule "fennel" (in verse), geflog (?)"flying illness,
infectious disease", fotgeswell "swelling of or on the foot", freab[rJegd (?)"severe seizure" or
(?)"mighty trick" (in verse),

Qenhcefod "mountain-top" (in verse), gallengar "galingale",

Kama (or -e) (?)"bridle", (?)"collar" (in verse), heafodloca "skull" (LL.), heafodsealf
"head-salve", healsoman "erysipelas (or other swelling?) of the neck", hindebrer" (or treat as
two words, hinde brer) a plant name (see Glossary), hlcedderwyrt an unidentified plant-name,
horsoman "equine laminitis, or other inflammatory skin affliction of horses", hundes micge
(or micga) a plant-name (see Glossary), hwcetesmedma "wheat-meal, fine wheat flour",
hwitmcerinQC (?)an unidentified plant-name, hwyrfnes "dizziness, giddiness", (`^inspidemvrht
inspiden-creature (see Glossary; first element(s) of uncertain meaning), in el "internal
affliction", ltTtbyrd "slow or delayed birth" (in verse), lambyrd "imperfect/misformed birth"
(in verse), lapwendnes "malignity, hostility" (LL.), lungensealf "lung-salve", mceder (?)a
meas-ure of some kind, (?)"a wooden drinking vessel", melde "orache", metecweorra
(?)"surfeit of food, indigestion", molda or -e "crown of the head", morgendreenc "morning
drink", morgenwlretunga "morning nausea", NoP65) (7.)"Nodule, glandular swelling"
(perhaps personified; see Glossary), on.Jlyge "flying disease, infectious illness" (in verse),
('conga see Glossary (in verse), pyretre (or -a) "feverfew", (?)pnbean see Glossary,
Regenmeld "Great ((?)or Divine) Proclamation" (in verse), saturege (but cf. sceberie) "wild
basil", sciencbolla "drinking bowl or cup", sccencecuppe "drinking cup", scrofell "scrofula,
scrofulous swelling", sidece "side ache, pain in the side", sideware "zedoary", slcepdreenc
"drink to induce sleep", Stibe a plant name (see Glossary) (in verse), Stone a plant name (see
Glossary) (in verse), swcertbyrd "dark birth, black birth" (see Glossary) (in verse), sweota (or
-e) (see Glossary), trinda (or -e) (see Glossary), tunniep "a cultivated species of rape or

"BT hi ndbrer.

103

turnip" (see Glossary), Pearmwind "casing of the intestine" (see Glossary) (LL.),
peohgeweald "genitalia" (LL.), Peohweorfa "kneecap, kneejoint" (LL.), eorece "pain caused
by the affliction Peor", Peorgerid (see Glossary), porngeblced "blister or other swelling
caused by a thorn" (in verse), fiys[tel]geblced "blister or other swelling caused by a thistle"
(in verse), ualeriane "valerian", undertungeprum "ligament under the tongue" (LL.),
wcetergeblced "blister or other swelling caused by water" (in verse), Wergulu" (see Glossary)
(in verse), wipstunian

"to dash against"

(in verse), wudusurcrppel crab (apple),

wuldorgeflogen (see Glossary) (in verse), wuldortan "glorious-twig" (in verse), wyrmgealdor
"wyrm-incantation", xyrmgebtced "blister or other swelling caused by wyrm" (in verse), and
ysgeblced "blister (chilblain?) caused by ice" (in verse).
b. adjectives: briwpicce "thick as pottage", cwicbeamen "made of cwicbeam", fanthalig
"font-holy", je/iorbyrste "split into four", lcececrceftig "skilled in medicine", linhcewen
(?)"flax-blue", mealt (adj.) "malty, (?)"sour", nYpergewend "turned downwards", orne (see
Glossary), runol (?)"dirty, foul" (in verse), biht "strong, firm" (see Glossary) (in verse), and
wundswr "powerful in wounding" (in verse).
c. (?)adverb: wngancundes (?)"in a unique manner" (in verse).
d. verbs: ag?Indan "to grind, grind up", besccefan "to scrape thoroughly", bestrican "to
make a stroke", ceorran "to creak" (in verse), geportian "to bray", getyrwan "to make like
tar, make into a tarry consistency", imveaxan "to grow in"'S, and Purhburnen (pa. ptc.)
"thoroughly burnt".

ii. Dialect vocabulary: Lacn, contains a number of words which have been thought by
some scholars to be characteristic of Anglian against WS. Wenisch [1979], developing the
findings of Jordan [1906], lists the following supposedly common-Anglian words found in
Lacn.: bebycgan (11. 938 bebicge, 940 bebicge, bebicgan), biergan (1. 950 gebyrge), blinnan
(1. 829 blinned) (blinnan is apparently common-Anglian from the tenth century), dcerst(e) (1.
662 dreestan), dot (1. 818 dote), fam (1. 959), gewcege (11. 691, 704), leoran (1. 192 geleored),
ncenig (ll. 506 ncenigne, 861 ncenige), scearfian (ll. 247, 517 gescearfa, 72, 81, 83, 137, 207
u But sae BT weargol.
"ifiless in- should be separated and treated as an adverb.

104

scearfa, 131 scearfige), swinsung (1. 974 swinsunge), and deofend (1. 820 Peofentum). The
Lacn. entries in which these words occur are nos. XXI, XXIII, XXIV, XX)G, XLN, LI,
LXIII, LXVIII, LXXI, LXXXVII, CII, CIX, CXXXXVI, C)CxXVII, CXLI, CXLIX, CLXII,
CLXIII, CLXVII, and CLXX.

On this basis Wenisch (p. 327) would confirm previous opinions that Lacn. has an
Anglian origin. More specifically, the lack of any exclusively North. vocabulary might
suggest a Mercian rather than a North. origin for Lacn.
I have, however, doubts about the validity of this list and of the resulting conclusions. It
is questionable whether certain of these words really are specifically Anglian since some of
them are too rarely attested, while others are attested in too restricted a field, to enable one to
determine whether they are in fact dialectically specific and not merely typical of one
particular field of writing (which may or may not happen to have Anglian roots), or of a
writer's personal idaolect 1 6. The possibility that texts surviving only as copies of earlier MSS
may have undergone not only phonological and morphological updating, but also lexical
substitution by their scribes must be considered, as must the possibility that words apparently
eschewed in LWS were current in EWS, but simply were not fated to appear in the limited
EWS corpus that has survived. Add to these factors the paltry number of texts extant from
the pre-Alfredian period in which some OE remedies may conceivably have been composed,
the known use of Mercian scholars by Alfred, the presence of "a considerable degree of
Mercian] influence, which is unlikely to be due merely to Mercian] scribal habits" (Hogg
1.10) in EWS, the limited attestation of the Kentish dialect (let alone the East Anglian), and
the apparent lexical demarcation between Anglian and WS may at times appear to have a
somewhat shaky foundation. More particularly, with regard to Wenisch's list of supposedly
Anglian words in Lacn., the following specific reservations may be made:
a. the verb (ge-)scearfian "to scrape, shave, shred" (Wenisch p. 303) is found only thr^ r,MFs
outside the medical texts BLch, OEHerb, OE A1dQ, and Lacn., the dialectal origins of all of
which are uncertain (it is possible that BLch - and so parts of Lacn. - is associated with
Alfred's circle). Two of these exceptions are found together in the North. gloss to the
16 Wenisch's fa ilure to provide synonyms that might enable one to ascertain how much opportunity there was for the
use of a word in non-Anglian texts significantly affects the usefulness ofhis work.

1 05

Lindisfarne Gospels (Luke 13: 7, 9) (Lat. succide, succides), and the other is in the OE
Monasteriales Indicia (ed. Banham [1991: 33, no. 57]) (not cited by Wenisch) and refers,
like the medical texts, to the preparation of plants. Given that the corpus of OE writings is
dominated by texts dealing with the abstract fields of Christian history, morality and
theology, it may be neither surprising nor significant that a verb such as scearfian is
restricted mainly to the medical texts.
b. swinsung (Wenisch pp. 303-4) is not very frequently attested (and in any case seems
also to have been used by a tenth-century Kentish glossator (armonia : suinsunge) (see
Rusche [1994: 207, no. 147])).
c. gewage (Wenisch pp. 307-8) appears to be found only thrice outside OE medical
texts.
d. nrenig (Wenisch pp. 189-205) can be found in EWS in both the Parker Chronicle (ed.
Plummer [1892: Glossary under ncenig]), and the Orosius (ed. Bately [1980: 17/5]). See also
Vleeskruyer [1953: 32 n. 1].

e. deofend (Wenisch p. 241) is rarely attested.

f. Another word, the prep. in", which as some scholars (e.g. Vleeskruyer [1953: 30])
note, may well suggest Anglian origins, is not, by itself diagnostic of Anglian roots. It is
characteristic of Anglian against LWS texts (which usually have on), but in can also be found
in EWS: there are numerous instances in the OE Orosius (ed. Bately [1980: Glossary under
in]) 18, while the Parker Chronicle shows, according to Plummer [1892: Glossary under in],
"a tendency to use in where [MSS] B.C.D.E. have on" (this is confirmed by Bately [1986:
cxvii-cxviii]). There are also a few instances of in (beside predominant on) in the OE
Pastoral Care (see Sweet [1871: xxxi.r]). 1 9
In is absent from the series of Entries20 XI-XXV, L=-CXI, and strikingly so (a
single instance in Entry CLXIII excepted) from Entries CXLVI-CLXKM (the part of Lacn.
thought to have been added slightly later in the eleventh century by a different hand (see

Fulk [199 2 : 3 6 2 n . 13 6 ] rema rks: ""Unstressed in " is preferab l e to "prepos ition in" because it excludes not only
the adverb but also the postponed preposition" .

"Vlceslc yer [1 9 53 : 30] , fo llowing A. Napier, states that this is "due to the influ ence of the Latin original ...;
possibly also to the somewhat stronger influence of Mercian spelling in this text".
"Fulk [ 19 9 2 : 3 6 8] remarks that "i n was surely commoner in prehistoric West Saxon than it was later" .

70 Note that not every envy in the series highlighted here contains in/on, but I number the series straight through.

106

Description of the Manuscript under Scribes and Script, hand v)); these series have on.
Among remedies which only have in may be noted the series of Entries XLN-LII and
LXV-LXXI. It is not uncommon (though not the rule) to find in and on together in the same
entry - thus e.g. Entries VI, X, 3CKXIX, and CXXVII (initial prose only); the stock
expression "in ... or in..." is also worth highlighting (1. 216 in wine odde on ealad; similarly
11. 218, 742-3, 793-4; contrast 1. 842 on wine odde on hluttran ealad).
Given the cluster of non-WS features in the Nine Herbs Charm, it may be noted that
only on is found in the verse section (ll . 5 3 5-97), whereas both on and in are found in the
prose section (11 . 598 -603 ) . For discussion of the "considerable evidence for scribal tampering
with in/on" in relation to the dialectal origins of OE verse see Fink [1992 : 3 62 and
Appendix A (p. 412)] . I also note that only in is found in the gloss to LL. (3x; Cambr. MS
has only on) - this may well reflect the likely Anglian origin of this text, but the influence of
the Lat. lemma in is possible on each occasion .
Note that, with only one exception (1 . 802 in), the word used for prep. "on" is on .
g. Another word that might be more characteristic of Anglian than WS is medmicel.
According to Vleeskruyer [1953 : 31] this word is rare in WS ("apparently only once in WS .
... Aelfric has rare instances of medemmi cel") .
h. According to Fink [1992 : 355(2)] sce is "almost always masculine in Anglian prose
texts . In West- Saxon it is usually feminine : for instance, it is almost exclusively feminine in
,Elfric". In Lace. we find only masc. gender in this word - scPS (LL. (so too Cambr. MS), and
2x in Entry LXXVI (the Nine Herbs Charm (in verse))) .

107
8. CONCLUSIONS: DATE AND DIALECT

Several scholars believe that antecedents of Lacn. were of early date and/or composed in
a Northern or specifically Mercian dialect, though the point has been asserted rather than
argued in detailZ'. Vleeskruyer [1953: 33 n. 2], for example remarks, partly on the basis of
Jordan, that "Lceceboc and Lacnunga very probably go back to Mercian originals ... That
these were of early date is clear enough from the very nature of their contents, as well as
from their language".
To deal with the date of the contents of Lacn. first, there is, of course, nothing inherently
old in Lacn.'s contents of medical remedies and charms. We know from the existence of
identical or closely variant versions of remedies found in Lacn. that at least Entry L^CMX
(also found in the Omont Fragmant) and almost certainly many others (those also found in
BLch and Lchbk3) date from at least the (?)early tenth-century (and quite likely from the
ninth), that incantations in particular undoubtedly may be ancient, and that there might be
documentary evidence of an OE remedy (not found in Lacn.) as early as the eighth century
(Ker, Appendix no. 3)).
An analysis of the language of Lacn. reveals that, outside LL., there are no features
indicative of very early date, but that the relatively frequent occurrence of o before nasal
cons. (especially in the Nine Herbs Charm and LL.), and perhaps the occasional instance of
diacritic e, may suggest the existence of an earlier (i.e. pre-LWS) and possibly dialectal
(Anglian) basis for at least parts of the collection. In LL. are found a few forms that may very
well be archaic ((?)eighth-century) (i.e. deoblu, neabulan, li[bJre, and saes), but this is not
absolutely certain. Such clusters of linguistic features untypical of LWS - combined with the
haphazard ordering and presentation of the text in MS - tend to suggest support for the
common opinion that the compiler(s)/scribe(s) of Lacn. were working from more than one
" Notabl y L (p . 1 58): "Anglische Formen in der Rezeptensammlung leggin die Vamuhaig nahe, das wir een
n 8rdlich es Original ftlr die Lacnunga anatsetzat h a ben. von dem erne wests disische Umsdirift gemacht worden isi. Aus
dieser Umschrift slammt viellei drt die spatere Kopie, die in Hart . 585 vorliegt" ; G (p. 1 06) states that Harl ey MS 5 8 5 is a
"N orthumbrian manu script of the late e l eventh century" ; S (p. 23 ) remarks that " Anglian forms in di cate that bath
manuscripts ( i . e . BL MS R egius D xvii (BLch and LchBk3) and Lacn. in Harley 58 5) were based on north ern originals.
n o Lauumpp abounds in Angli an forms"; GS (p. 212 ): " Frum the number and diylri6ution of ... An gl [ian ] forms one is
in cl ined to accept L.eonhardi's op in ion ... that th e first version of the who l e Lacn unga was North ern "; Wmisdi [1 979: 541
remarks " Ws. K opi e eines an g] ., w ahrsdieinl ich men Ori gin a ls" . Furthermore, Wen isdi th inks th e earl i er basis for
Lacn . was ninth century or earlier.

108

(and probably many) exemplars which may well have had distinguishing linguistic features.
Numerous linguistic features characteristic of LWS and late OE in Lacn. which accord with
the MS date are to be set against the few surviving early features.
The dialectal origins of Lacn. (excluding for the moment LL.) are for the most part
unclear, though there is probably some linguistic evidence to suggest that at least parts of the
collection may be based on (not necessarily primary) Anglian antecedents . Note that,
although the Lacn. remedy contains no Anglian traits , Entry LXXIX is also found in the
early Omont Fragment which is thought to be Mercian (Schauman & Cameron [1977:
309-121 ; Hogg 1 . 8) . However, decisively Anglian (as opposed to possibly Kentish, EWS, or
late OE) forms are not numerous - and appear even less so if we exclude instances in the
verse (especially the Nine Herbs Charm and Entry CLXHI)" and recognise the presence of
occasional specifically Kentish forms. The number of probably Anglian and early forms has
seemed somewhat greater to previous students of Lacn. who appear not to have taken into
account the real possibility that some forms with ce for expected ea can be alternatively
explained

as

resulting

from

general

(Kentish

excepted)

OE

eleventh-century

monophthongization . The disproportionate number of non-WS forms in LL. may suggest that
this situation does not result from WS regularization by the latest Lacn. scribe(s) at least, but
that the bulk of Lacn . had prior (not necessarily primary) existence in the WS dialect (though
distinctively EWS forms are notably few) . The predominant spelling of the i-mutation of
nasalised 4/8 as ce - which GS (p. 212) think constitutes a South Eastern trace - is now

"S ee al so foll ow ing summary li st of proba bl e non -WS features grouped a ccordm gto entry.
See Fulk [ 1 992 : 3671 for recent remarks on the translation of "a great deal of West-Saxon prose .... from non -WS
origina ls"; see 369 (and n. 1 50) for th e possibility of the copying of WS (an d oth er southern ) texts in An gli an areas or
by Angli an scri bes.
' S isattt [19 5 3b ; 119-391 argues forthe possibi l ity th at (p. 138 ):
poems coul d be produced that do n ot belong t o any loca l dialed, but to a general O ld English poetic dia l ect,
artificial, archai c and perh aps mi xed in its vocabu l ary, conservative in infl exi ons that affe ct the
verse-structure, and indifferent to non-Audural irregularities, which w ere perhaps tolerated as part of the
col ouring of the lan gua ge of verse.
See Fu lk [1 99 2 : esp. chap. xiJ for a recent deta i l ed consideration of the issue of the dia lectal origins of OE verse,
which takes the view that wh ile (p . 31 8) "on ly "structura l " eviden ce can afford certainty" th e evi dence of indivi dual
orth ograph ic di a le ctal features can be a significant support to such evi dence; however, this book - in common with those
of oth er metrists - conta ins bare ly a menti on ofthe OE metrica l charms.
It is important to n ote therefore that there are only two structura l features that may be n on-WS , both in the Nine
Herbs Charm, an d both doubtful: 1 . 562 seas (quite possibly for +scees) may be structurally masc., and so typically
Angl i an ; 1 . 556 sy may be structurally disylla bic and so non -WS . S ee Commentary for further details. None ofthe oth er
supposedly n on-WS features in the verse passages is demonstrably "structural" in the sense that the substitution of WS
equi valents would produ ce metrical ly in va li d pattern s (as opposed to simply ch angin g th e classificati on of certain
individual half lines); n or are th ere any instances wh ere WS forms seem to be metri cal ly required in favour of (or as
rep lacements for) An glian forms.

109

regarded as ambiguous with regard to dialect and date, but does not appear to preclude a WS
origin.
The OE gloss to LL, clearly stands apart from the rest of the collection in the nature and
number of its non-WS forms, several of which are specifically Anglian (and a few
specifically Mercian). These, together with certain forms in the earlier text of the Cambr.
MS, very probably point to an earlier Anglian (Mercian) basis for the gloss (cf. Campbell 12
"not rich in decisive forms, but to be regarded as Mercian"; Hogg 1.8 "minor Mercian
test]").
Summary list of entries in Lace. with clear (or not improbable) non-WS features:
Prose entries:
I : non-WS ge%dred.
X : Anglian smere and smergenne .
XVIII : Possibly Anglian mid + acc.
XXII (1. 78) : Anglian bcec and (probably) coliad. Possibly non-WS here therefore are
unsyncopated awed and byrne8. (A variant version of this charm in another MS also has two
possibly Anglian forms, byrnet and wuerm (see Hogg 2 . 77 it. 3 on occasional wu for wynn in
late North. ))
XXVII : (?)North. smeogan . Possibly non-WS here therefore is galdor. The associated
Entry XXVI also has galdor.
XX{: (?)North. hirfs Diu.
XXXI: Kentish hyo.
XX)OV: (`anon-WS wyrte.
XLIII: non-WS frflene; Kentish neogon; consequently wyrte may be non-WS.
XLIV: Anglian geleored; possibly Anglian medmicle; consequently wyrte may be
non-WS.
XLV: Anglian asih ((?) andPridde).
XLVI: Anglian asih.
XLVII: non-WS seofontene.
XLIX: Anglian asih.

110

LX: non-WS we/ and (?)Kentish [mJest.

LXIII: non-WS heowe[s] and snegles.
LXV (LL.): Anglian (including specifically Mercian) betwin, coelnesse, gefligan,
s'e-n
forleort, heafolan, heo, mergum, mec (8x), neabulan, onbernes, onseone, readorlica^;
North. gescyldrum, ulgeongende, and posci bly riviga; mcehte might (but need not) also be
Anglian; generally Anglian -nis suffix; probably Anglian mid + acc.; non-WS edre, feond,
lQdwendnesse, ondgeotum, ondwleotan, sceonum, siomve, ten, were; consequently the
following may well be Anglian (rather than EWS), gealdige, aldordomas, alle (3x), a/ne;
consequently the following may well be non-WS (rather than EWS), cendebyrdnesse,
dugudmehte, eaxle, elne, jolme, fyste, hom(mJe, synne; note also therefore the predominance
of o + nasal cons., and the exclusive use of prep, in; Kentish hyorthoman, leligen, lyomu,
dyoh.
LXVI: Mercian sie.
LXVII: Kentish nyodewearde.
LXVIII: non-WS wel. Possibly also non-WS here therefore are berehalm and alomalt.
LXIX: (?)North. or (?)EWS sie; Kentish nyopowearde; consequently wyrte might be
non-WS.
LXXI: Kentish dyornyrt.
L=I: Kentish weoduweaxan.
L=V : Kentish weoduweaxe .
LX30 CVI : possibly Anglian galdor (also galdor 2x in the verse) .
LXXXVII : possibly Anglian mid + acc.
XCI : non-WS wel. Possibly also non-WS here therefore is adeadad.
X : (? )Mercian neorunyse .

CVI : possibly Anglian mid + acc.; possibly non-WS (particularly Anglian (esp. North. ))
ofgeat.
CXIII : Kentish neogan .
CXX : ( ?)Mercian siendan ; (?)Anglian scrinced ; also Anglian here therefore may be
unsy ncopated vexed ; non-WS seonuwa (2x) ; Kentish nyoxme.

111

CXXI : non-WS endwerce and Peorwerce .

CX3QII : Kentish nyodeweardne .

CXUQII Possibly non-WS glede and healfe ((?) also recels) .

CXXXVI : possibly Anglian doa ((?) rec and recels) ; consequently healfe and wyrte may
also be non-WS .

CXLI : blinned . The verb is thought to be specifically Anglian, and the absence of
syncopation here may well support this .
CXLVII : (?)Kentish frymful.
CLIII : Kentish neogone (possibly in verse) .
CLXI : Kentish or Mercian seo .
CLXII : Anglian [wJry and b ebi cge (b ebicge and b ebi cgan also in the verse) ; non-WS
cepe mannurn .

CLXIII : Possibly Anglian gebyrge .

CLXX : Kentish blece; non-WS liferwerce ; North ./WS wcerce, cneowwcerce.

Typically Anglian prep. in is found many times in Lacn., but only once after Entry
CXLIII .
Noteworthy here from the point of view of possible non-WS dialectal origins may be the
continuity of Anglian/non-WS forms in the series of associated Entries XLIII-XLVII (emetic
drinks) , CXX-C= (remedies for "the great discharging foot disease") , and CLXI-CLX II
(remedies associated with childbirth - see also forms in verse passages below) .
Verse passages :
LXXVI (the Nine Herbs Charm) : Anglian gemyne (2x), Wergulu, (also doubtfully West
Mercian is criwe); possibly Anglian therefore are gecendade, gerendadest, renadest", and
weorped (but not necessarily wreced); also possibly sces (2x); Kentish bryodedon, wedenan
(2x), weoda (cf: weoduweaxe and weoduweaxan in nearby Entries LXXIV and LXXII),
(?)dy/pe (4x); North./WS wcerce (2x); (?)North. hoed; non-WS reodan, (?)sy. Quite possibly
non-WS are bryde and cwene; also possibly non-WS then are worulde and xyrte. Note also
exclusive use of o + nasal cons.
"Fink [1 99 2 : 355 ( 1 0) ] remarks of the verbal pref.. suffix -ad- that " in gen era l, statistics of incidence al one will not
ma rk th is as a dia led indicator in verse".

112

LXXXVI : doubtfully Anglian galdor (2x) and gecendade .

CXLIX : Kentish Pyos; doubtfully non-WS gemcersad.
CLXII : Anglian bebicge and bebicgan .
CLXIII : Anglianbihtan (2x); possibly North. ,bysse ; non-WS gehwer.

113

SURVEY OF CONTENTS

Lacn. is a miscellaneous collection of Anglo-Saxon herbal remedies, prayers and

blessings' for humans and livestock (cows, horses, pigs, and sheep), written mainly in OE
and Lat., but also containing a few corrupt incantatory passages in other languages, notably
OIr. Most of the remedies are either simple herbal salves (i.e. ointments/lotions) and
poultices, or drinks, syrups, and soups, with the occasional use of animal substances such as
fats, bile, marrow, dung and urine, in addition to the frequent use of milk, butter, and eggs.
Spices - some of them particularly exotic - are also sometimes used for flavouring (salt,
pepper, ginger, cinnamon, galingale, and zedoary). The mineral sulphur is used for skin
conditions. There are numerous charms (i.e. incantations and amulets) - including several
"metrical charms" in OE alliterative verse' - prayers (including a text of the seventh-century
Irish Lat. Lorica of Laidcenn), and benedictions, found both independently and in
conjunction with a herbal element (as in e.g. Entries LXIII, LXXVI, LXXXVI, and
CXXVII). Non-herbal charms and other non-herbal texts predominate towards the end of the
MS (Entries CXLI-CXLIII, CXLIX-CLXIV (an extended series of sixteen charms and
prayers), CLXVII-CL.XIX, CLXXVI, CLXXKII, and CLXXXHI). Together with charms for
theft and prohibitions against bloodletting on certain days, a wide variety of ailments is
addressed, indeed there seems to be at least one remedy for most of the complaints an
Anglo-Saxon might reasonably expect to suffer from (or have experience of) with the
exception of bleeding (except bleeding from the mouth), wounds3, burns, constipation, loss of
hair, and (possibly) snake-bite6.
'The on ly entry that has no obvious remedial, prophylactic or exorcistic fimdim, or use in the preparation of
medicine or foo d is CLI, a prayer wh ich is used in oth er medi eval MS S as part of a rite for the con secration of a church .

''There is occasional use oftroe fruits and bark, but no use of fimgi .
'Also hart's skin, ashes ofhart s hom, snails/slugs, and worms.
' Entries LXYVI (usually known as the Nine Herbs Charm s L.7MNI, CXXVII, CXLIX, and CI XI-CLX II.
' I Jn lcss Entry Ch7{VII a is for a puncture wound.
` Th ere are remedies for bleeding throu g h the mouth, bone trouble, corns, styes and warts, ch ildbirth, constriction of
the ch est, cou gh, sudden death of swin e, affl i ctions caused by demons (elves, devils, pagan gods) and witches, diarrhoea,
distension of stoma ch/ guts, di zzin ess, sudden dumbness in women, ear problems, erysipelas, "every internal affliction",
eye prob lems, fever, foot pain, foot swellings ((?)gout) and foot disease, swo ll en glands, haemorrhoids and anal fistula,
h eada che, h eart prob l ems, incapacitated animals, indigestion, infectious disease, insomni a, itching, joint-pain, knee-pain,
sw o llen knees and lei, lice, l o in -pa in , lung ailments, loss of a na il from the h and, pocks and scab in sheep, poisonin g,
scabies, morning sickness, pain in the side, scabby skin and l eprosy, smallpox, stoma ch-ache, swellin gs, toothache, some
form of skin compla int called beor, sudden pa in, loss of voice, and wyrm ns. There is also a panacea that menti ons - in
addition to comp laints a lso dea lt with by oth er remedies - cerebral discharge, liver-pain, jaundice, tinnitus, deafness,
spl een-pain, and ina b il ity to urin ate.

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The herbal remedies (Lat. sources for some of which have been found) are usually - not
always' - fairly short and simple, but more often than not use a combination of different plant
ingredients8. Generally speaking, after an indication of the ailment or ailments to be
remedied (e.g. Wid hwostan "For a cough") comes a list of the plants and any other
ingredients to be used. These ingredients are often to be reduced either by being rubbed,
ground, pounded (sometimes the use of a mortar is mentioned), scraped, or dried to a
powder, they may be made into a fomentation, or (sometimes after being reduced) boiled in a
liquid such as water, milk, wine, beer or ale (but not mead), sometimes strained through a
cloth, and then occasionally left for a specified time before being employed - the manner
sometimes being specified (e.g. syle etan gelome "give to eat frequently"; smyre mid "smear
therewith"). The remedy may end with a formulaic assurance of success (e.g. him bid sel "he
will be better").
Sometimes, however, very few, if any, directions for use are provided. For example in
Entries XV, 7MUV, LXIII, LXXIV, LXMU a + b (if some or all of these remedies are not
in fact fragmentary), it seems to be assumed that the practitioner will know how to prepare
and use the prescribed ingredients. A similar point can be made with regard to several of the
charms and prayers which lack directions to indicate whether they are to be recited or written
down for use as amulets. Presumably many could and would be used either way9.
Some degree of practical experience is also implied by the relative infrequency with
which quantities are stipulated. Moreover, as the following list shows, such measurements of
substances as are found in Lacn. are often of a rather general nature and as such open to a
degree of subjective interpretation by the practitioner. Depending on the amount of
experience in herbalism on the part of the preparer of the remedy, such measurements are not
necessarily to be thought casual or inadequate - one of the virtues of herbal medicine is that,
depending of course on the ingredients, it often does not need to be, a scrupulously exact
Lacn , also contains three of the longest and most involved herbal remedies in OF., namely Entries X-,'\7, LXIII,
and CLvK.
' Large numbers of herbal in gredi ents (say ten or more) an Lacn. might be more characteristic of salves than of
remedies intended for oonsurtptim (thus e.g Envies 7^ kV, )OM, XXXI, =V, L, U1II)1 but drinks may also
employ many plant ingredients ( e. g. Entries LXX, LMa, and, most strikin gly of all, CL,OQ.
'Entry CLVIII, th e " Petrussegen ", has a l ong history of use both as a teed to be re cited, and as an amulet to be w orn .
For a detailed treatment of An glo-Saxm amulets see Mean ey [ 1981 ] . To the objects mentioned in this book may be
added th e recently discovered eighth-oentury "C oppergate Helmet" on wh ich there is a Lat. Christian inscription in the
form of a anss, perhaps intended to provide protection in battle - see Tweddl e [1 9 84] , Webster & Backhouse [199 1 : no.
4 71 , and esp . Tweddl e [ 1 992 : 1 0 12-155 ] .

115

discipline in such respects - though in unskilled hands some of the prescriptions may very
well have led to tragic results 10. The following weights and measurements are found: be dale
"a little"; bolla full "full bolla (i.e. "bowl", "cup"), also lytel bolla "little bowl"; cumb full
"full cumb ", a cumb being a measure ((?)and/or a vessel of some sort); god dcel "good deal",
"considerable amount"; sum dcel "some part", "certain amount"; handful "handful"; cuppe
full "full cup"; lytel cuppeful "little cupful"; sccencbolla full "full drinking-bowl/cup";
sccencecuppe full "full drinking-cup"; trymess "drachma"; cegscyll full "full eggshell"; swa
mice! swa an ceg "as much as an egg"; apes ages gewyrd "an egg's worth"; pcenig "penny";
penigweord "pennyworth"; sester full "full sextarius" (< Lat . sextarius), probably here not (or
not only) an abstract measure but also a container of some sort"; ynse "ounce" (< Lat. uncia);
euenmicel swa du mcege mid binan scitefingre to jiinum duman befon "just as much as you
can grasp between your forefinger and thumb"; fcedm "cubit" (measurement of length); swa
grease swa din buma "as thick as your thumb"; lytel "a little"; efenmicel "just as much", "an
equal amount"; another measure or container, otherwise unrecorded in OE, seems to have
been the mieder.

The many charms in Lacn. are used for a more limited range of complaints than the
herbal remedies; indeed, Lacn. provides some qualified confirmation of Lucille Pinto's [1973:
181 general observation that:
Almost all medical charms deal with three things only: wounds and bleeding ; birth;
and the skin and internal diseases that were attributed to worms, i. e . to the prototype
worm, the demon of illness . Thus, they deal with the fundamentals and the
mysteries of life; blood, birth and demonic possession.
However, charms against "elf-shot" , strains, pains, warts/corns, fever, and - though there
are none in Lacn. - for broken bones ought to be added to this fist. Thus in Lacn . we have a
charm for toothache apparently caused by the tooth-xyrm (Entry JAI), charms for

"Some of the emetics invol ving the enthusiasti c use of kbcorna "poisoaoas seeds" (probably
extremely dangerous - and perhaps deliberatel y so .

per surge seeds) are

"Cf. WW (122, 30, 31):

Nomina Uasorum.
Amfora, sester
Cantaru s, winsester
Also note Griffiths [1986 : 242] , who gives an instance of sester apparently meaning a wooden cmtama: amtigan
sestras - Judges 7 : 19 .

116

swallowed wyrmas (Entries XXVI, XXVII, and (?)LXIV), charms for skin problems again
probably attributed to wyrmas (Entries XXV, (?)LXIII, and LXXXIII), charms for some form
of swelling or protuberance associated by the Anglo-Saxons with wyrmas (Entries LXXVI
(possibly for haemorrhoids, anal fistula, or (?)snake-bite) and CLIII), charms for various
afflictions resulting from the action of, or possession by, demons of one sort or another
(Entries LXXVI, (?)LX)OQ, LXXXVI, CXXVII, (?)CLII, CLIII (probably), CLV, CLVII,
and CLVIII), and for childbirth (Entries CLVI, CLXI, CLXII, CLXIII, and (?)CLXV).
Less easily pigeon-holed into these categories, however, are Entries LXNXVIII,
CLXVIII and CLXIX (all for erysipelas), CXXVI (for " flying poison") , CLIV (for a corn),
CLXIV (for enlarged glands) , CLX (for diarrhoea, though the corrupt amuletic text does
suggest application for staunching blood), and CLXXXIII for smallpox. Other charms in
Lacn . are not medical, but rather for theft (Entries CXXXVII and CXLIX) - this being
another common concern of medieval charms .
Some versions of charms found in Lacn . survived the Anglo-Saxon period to be recorded
in later medieval MSS , and one was still in use in various forms in the first half of the
twentieth century (see Commentary to Entries CXI,IX, CLVIII, and CI.XV) ".
The presence of OIr words (albeit often somewhat corrupted) in an Anglo-Saxon text is
of particular interest". Irish words are found in several of the incantations in Lacn . ", a
" In my editi on, by mean s of th e presentati on of some l ater medieva l analogu es to a few of th e ch arms in Lacn ., I
gi ve some support to Pa yne's statement [190 4 : 1 42] th at anoth er "fiel d of research li es in the subsequent history of th ese
ma gi cal w ords and ceremoni es. I believe that many of th em survived al l throw th e Mi ddle Ages and linger" . It is to be
e xpected that with th e firture publ ication of collections of later En glish charms more instances of survival w ill become
evident- An oth er task - one wh ich I have made no attempt to undertake in this edition - is to determin e wh eth er th ere is
any eviden ce of a continu ous traditi on of non-magica l h erbal medicine in the later Middl e Ages in England stemming
from An glo-Sa xon medicin e.
"Charms containing O Ir words in Lacn. are Entries XXV, XXVI ( and so XXVII whi ch uses the same galdor^ LXIII
(ll . 253 -4 L\'\VII (1 .6 28 CYA'XVII, CLXIV, an d C I )= (11. 1 065-6).
" For oth er instances of OIr in Angl o-S a xon charms see Meroney [ 19 4 5 ] (on th e words weorn and snuth fola (for
OIr sru th fola "stream of bl ood") see al so Sims- Willi ams [1 99 3 : 1 42 -3 , 1 55 ] ), and n otes to Lacn. Entries XXV ( an
incantati on sti ll described inadequate ly in one modem textbook ( Ki edch efa [ 19 89: 65] ) as "gibberish possibly derived
from some forei gp language"^ CA?-AVII, CL.?{I V, and CLA'XXIII . Stuart [1 974] may also be consuh ed. Thum eysen
[1940: 289-90 ] finds some Irish in a twelfth century partl y Lat, charm Contra febres in Durham Cathedral Irbrary
Appendix Hunter 1 00 fol . 11 8r: e . g. Ron be fu rtacht r talm o<i> n "mSge uns Hilfe zuteil warden auf Frden ", ron-be(a). .
r no m "mbge ems . . zute il werdan in H immel" . Note a lso th e "Circle of Saint Columbkill" found in BL MS Cotton
Vite ll i us E xviii fo l. 13 v (ed C vol . I, p. 3 9 5 , and by S, no. 8 5): Dunl eavy [1 960: 138 n . 5 ] (and see earlier Sin ger
[ 1 91 9-2 0: 3 60-3] ) remarks " [ i]n Ireland, the "circle of Co lumba " is identified by archaeo logists as a " large flat ston e into
th e surface of which there has been art in remote antiquity a design consisting of a cross surrounded by a circle"." SL
Col umba is a lso invoked in charms in later medieval English M SS: a foutteenthcartury charm to protect a woman
against injuri es associated with lust is found in BL MS Roya l 1 2 B xxv (see Olsaa [1989b: 12 7] and Singer [1 9 19-2 0:
3 6 2] records a fifteenth-amtury charm invokin g C olumba to extingu ish the flames of a homin g house.
For an Irish - Lat an a l ogue to an a spect of the OE metri ca l ch arm For Unfru itful Land (AS PR 6, n o. 1 ) see Hill
[1968 ] . For a discussion of the " dissimil arity of ancient Irish magic from th at of the Anglo-Sa xons", one which pl ays
down the importance of th e Irish ch arms found in English MSS, and thereby evidences for direct conta ct between
En gland and Ireland, see Bonser [ 1 9 2 6 b] .
Outside An glo-S a xon MSS numerous Irish protective prayers/charms are ex tant (Wright [ 199 3 : 23 9 ] remarks " In
Iri sh traditi on certa in hymns, canticl es and psalms are frequently accompan ied in manuscripts by statements confirming

117
couple of these (Entries XXV and XXVI) being grouped together in MS beside a line
drawing of a man's bearded and hatted head, which, although not discussed by art historians,
might appear somewhat Irish (cf. perhaps some of the smaller men depicted in the Book of
Kells). We may be fortunate here to have an illustration of an early medieval Irish wizard.
Although a number of Celtic scholars (Zimmer, Thurneysen, and Meroney) have studied
these and other Irish charms and elucidated many Irish words in them, they have not
addressed the reason for their presence and use in an Anglo-Saxon medical text. We might
suppose that their corrupt nature, together with the distinct incantatory sound patterning
resulting from their often alliterative, assonantal, rhyming and repetitive word sequences
might alone account for their use, and that it cannot be safely assumed that the sounds were
ever intelligible to Anglo-Saxons in a conventional semantic sense. However, what seems to
have gone unnoticed by scholars of Anglo-Saxon medicine is that another explanation for the
use of things Irish in English medicine is found in no less an authority than Bede's Historia
Ecclesiastica". Speaking of Ireland Bede writes:
nu llum i bi reptile uideri soleat, nu llus ui uere Serpens ualeat. Nam saepe illo de
Brittania adlati serpentes, mox ut proximante terns nauigio odore aeris illius
adtacti juerint, in tereunt; quip poli us omni a pen e quae de eadem insula San t contra
uenenum ualent. Denique uidimus, quisbusdam a serpente percussis, rasa folia
codicum qui de Hibernia Juerant, et ipsam rasuram aquae inmissam ac potui datmn

th e ir e fficacy as prote ctive charms a gainst physical and spiritua l dangers for those wh o chant them" ). On prayers
cl assified as belon ging to the genre of the lonca see footn ote 1 9 below. Oth er medieval Irish medi cal in cantations are
preserved in a MS from St Gall and in the Stowe Missal (ed. Stokes & Strach an [190 1 , 1903 : 248-9, 2 5 0] (for a
fa csimi le and better te xt of the latter see Warner [1906 vol . I : last l eaf vol . II : 3 9, 421 ; for a full er version of on e of the
SL Gall charms (i .e. Caput Christi , ocu lu s Isaiae, frons nassiu m Noe .. (a redacti on of whi ch also foll ows the text of LL
in the Angl o-Saxon Book ofNunnam i nster)) with directions in Irish see Best [19 16 ] and Sim-Williams [1978 : 9 1 ; 1 990:
3011 ); see also Plummer [1924 : 75] and Best [1952] (cf. nos. VII and VIII with OE metrical ch arm no. 1 1 A Journey
Charm ); Pokorny [193 6 ] ; Meyer [1 9 15] ; a particularly important and diffi ai h co lle ction (includin g a charm for the
recovery of stolen cattle) is found in the Book ofBallym ote (Insche Texts, a 5 1ff., 11711 ^ but I have been un able to
consu lt this (the volume is officially missing at BL). More gen erally, an antiquated description of medieval Irish medical
fo lkl ore is Blake [1918] , and there is a ch apter on "Celti c Spells and Charms" in Spence [repr. 1 99 21 ; Logan [ 198 1]
briefly discusses some of these ch arms in a study of Irish folk medicine; brief remarks on some medieval Irish charms of
various types ( including satires and curses) may be found in Thomdike [1 9 29 vol. I : 640 1 ("[the] Fili ... w ere poets and
learn ed men, an d a l arge part of their leamang, at least originally, seems to have consisted of magic and divination"),
Chadwi ck & Cha dwick [19 32 vol. 1 : 466-7] ("Th e learning of spells (incantations) formed part of the regu lar training of
a fiG" ^ Williams & Ford [ 1 992 : 31 -2 1 ("charms were a regu lar part of th e instructi on offibd"^ and Travis [1942 ] . A
n umber of medieval Irish in cantations (essentially n on-medical ) supposedly spoken by the poet Amairgen, are to be found
in the Le bor Gabdla Erenn (ed. Ma cal ister [ 1 93 8-56 vol . 5 : see esp . 11 0-1 3 n o. LHI,l' (an d n ote 1 1 3 n . a )] ).
I ha ve wondered wheth er the n onsensical fortes Boro berto briore at the start of a fifteenth-century English ch arm
to effect childbirth (ed. MA ller [192 9: 13 0- 1] ; also Ho ltha usen [18 87: 85 , no. 2 6 ] ) might be corrupted Irish - cf. perhaps
forms of the O Ir verb beirid (DIL, 1 1) "bears, brin gs forth ".
" Ban ner [1 963 : 282] quotes th e passage in translation, but does n ot relate it to the use of some ofthe Irish charms in
Lace .

118

talibus protinus totam uim ueneni grassantis, totum inflati corporis absumsisse ac
sedasse tumorem.

"No reptile is found there nor could a serpent survive; for although serpents have
often been brought from Britarl, as soon as the ship approaches land they are
affected by the scent of the air and quickly perish. In fact almost everything that the
island produces is efficacious against poison. For instance we have seen how, in the
case of people suffering from snake-bite, the leaves of manuscripts from Ireland
were scraped, and the scrapings put in water and given to the sufferer to drink.
These scrapings at once absorbed the whole violence of the spreading poison and
assuaged the swelling."
[Bk 1 chap. i; ed and trans. Colgrave & Mynors [1969: 18-21] 1 6
Furthermore, in the twelfth century, Giraldus Cambrensis in his Topographia Hibernia
(trans . OMeara [1982 : 50-2]) " shows that Bede's statements were still current and
acknowledged, and that still others (i . e. the efficacy of Irish soil and Irish thongs against
poison and poisonous reptiles) existed. Indeed Giraldus goes so far in extolling the
healthiness of Ireland as to assert that (p. 53) :
"The air is so healthy that there is no disease-bearing cloud, or pestilential vapour,
or corrupting breeze. The island has little use for doctors. You will not find many
sick men, except those that are actually at the point of death. There is here scarcely
any mean between constant health and final death. Anyone bom here, who has
never left its healthy soil and air, if he be of the native people, never suffers from
any of the three kinds of fever. They suffer only from the ague and even that only
very seldom." "
Into this context fit neatly several of the Irish incantations found in Lacn. For Entry
XXV (and so also almost certainly Entry LXXXIII) contains an Irish incantaion for da
" Ma yr-Hafting [19 9 1 : 501 th inks th is passage is "a witty parody " of such "n onsense" as is foun d in Isi dore of
S evill e's Et}rnologin e, and that Bede's referen ce to su ch destructive use of Irish MS S as remedies for make-bite is a
refl ection of his disapproval of the excesses of Iri sh scriptura l exegesis. However, Wright [1 99 3 : 42 -3 ] denies this,
bel ieving that Bede is speaking "w ith out irony".
" See also the thirteenth -oentury Norwegian Konungs Sk-uggsj6 chap. x (trans Larso n [ 19 1 7: 1 06]).
"See further an the belief in th e healing power of Irish things in early times Krappe [1 9 4 1 ] (to which I owe some of
my referen ces). For continu ed bel ief in th e medicin al effica cy - particul arly a ga inst s akes - of Irish thin gs in later times
(even down to th e late n ineteenth and the secon d h alf of th e twentieth century) in north ern En gland see Dent [1968] and
Webb [196 9] ( also Hudleston [1 970] and Godw in [1 9 70]

119

blacan blegene "the black Blain" (i . e . probably some form of infected, perhaps gangrenous
sore or bubo which would naturally be considered poisonous) containing the words ar nem
"against poison" repeated twice, with the sequence ter nem nidren possibly being a corruption
of OIr or nem nathrach "against snake's poison" . A variant of the same incantation is also
found Entry LXIII (11 . 255-6) in a remedy whose precise application is unclear, but where the
incantation's very close proximity to a wyrmgealdor ("worm/snake-incantation") strongly
suggests a similar use . The second Irish incantation in Lacn . might be that very
wyrnrgealdor: Entry XXVI contains an incantation wid don be mon oche nyten wyrm
gedrince .

It is not, however, only in these incantations that Irish influence on Lacn. is evident. For
LL., the lengthy Lat. prayer which dominates the middle of the collection, is also thought to
be an Irish product, and certainly belongs to a genre that is predominately Irish1 9. This lorica
was once often ascribed by influential scholars (and so by L and GS) to the sixth-century
Briton Gildas Badonicus, whose principal extant work is the famous De Excidio Britonum,
but it is now ascribed by Michael Herren, the text's most recent editor, with the support of
several ascriptions in the various MSS of the lor;ca itself to the seventh-century Irishman
Laidcenn macs Baith Bannaig (d 661), monk of Clonfert-Mulloe (see Herren (pp. 42-5) and
Herren [1973]) 20. Furthermore, Lacn. stipulates the use of Scyttisc wex (1. 708) "Irish wax",
" Th e classi c study of the lonca genre is Gougau d 11 9 11 , 1 9 12 1 ( in cludes a list of early loricae). He [ 191 1 : 265 ]
defin es a lonca thus:
Une lon ca est un e pri ers de forme litanique, gaieralemeat prolixe, eaite sos en latin soil en langue ceh ique,
dens laqu el le m redame an temes pressants la protection des tro is pecsoanes divines, des angel et des saints
contre les maux at les dangers sp iriw els ou materiels, surtout contre oes demists. Ces dangers Sant sp6cifi6s
a ver soul, at m@me l es peRies du corps pour l esquelles on veal s'assurer la protection des puissan ces ce l estes
soot parfo is dnumdr6es tres mmutieusemant Celui qui prie demands a Dieu ou aux saints de lui @tre comme
une << wirasse >> dBfaLCive caatre l es attaqu es du liable, roil le n om de lorica. Ces oraisonsjouirent d une
geode po pularitk den s l ea pays celtiqu es, soil as ra ison de is ael ebrite des saints qui on "ant regar&s
come les suteu s, soil A cause des avantages et indulgences extraordinaires attach es A leur recitati on.
Other important studies of lon cae and re lated prayers are Herren ( also includes a modem edition of the Leiden
Lonca ), Hull [191 0 ] , Ma c Eoin [1 96 2] ( in cludes a useful sch ema of typical themes of loricae^ Hughes [1 970] , and Ni
ChathAin [19 76 1 ; see also remarks on Irish poems nos. 14 "Christ's Cross" and 24 " Lord, Guard me" in Murphy [ 1956]. 1
understand that Father Seen b Duinn has written Orth ai Cosa nta so Chr6ifeacht Cheilteach (Mart Nuad, 1 990), be ing
a study of th e protecti on -prayer tradition in Ce ltic Christianity (not sew ). For details of Irish loricae see also Denney
11 9 29 : index p . 8 0 8 under loncae] . Th e most famous lonca is th e eighth-cmtury Irish example usually (but erroneously)
ascri bed to St. Patri ck ( also kn own as the Deer's Cry). Editions of this lorica in clude Stokes & Strachan [1 90 1 , 1 90 3 :
354-8] , Creme & O'Connor [ 1967: no. 4] (see also no. 5 for another lorica^ and [n. d] Saint Patri ck 's Breastplate
(L u irech Ph6drmg), Catho lic Truth Society, London ( a copy of which is at BL). For some Icelandic exampl es of loricae
recorded in th e nineteenth century whi ch are cl early based on Irish mode ls see Mac Eoin [1 96 3] .
No orig inal and separate An gl o-Sa xon lon cae appear to have survived (if indeed they were ever composed,
alth ou gh the Journey Ch arm ( AS PR 6, no. 11 ) comes cl ose (indeed Hill [198 1 : 2 66 1 remarks " one could argue that [it]
is in fad a lonca" ; see also Ami ss [1 9 83 ]): th e &agnentary so-called Lorica Prayer (ed. Sweet [ 1 88 5: 1 74] ) does not
appear to warrant th e name, and Grant's [1 979] use of th e term lorica with regard to the llama in CCCC MS 41 is
loose. H owever, th e influence of lon cae on certain prayers in corporated in some OE religious poems is det ected and
discussed by Hill [1 9 81 ] , and rhythnric, often anatomical, listings which may displ ay th e influence of loncae are found in
early En glish pra yerbooks such as th e Book ojCerne (also Lacn. U . 2 6 0-5 , 909 - 11 ) - see Hug h es [ 1 970 ] .
70 Laidcam is known to Irish secular tradition as ch i ef poet to king Niall of the N ine H ostages (died c. 45 4 ADS but

1 20

may contain a corrupted reference to the Irish St. Brigit (ll. 1062-3), and, in Entry LXIII (11.
260-7), employs a litanic listing betraying - ultimately at least - the influence of a typically
Irish compositional technique.

Concepts of Disease Causation in Lacnun^a

Lacn., like much early medieval European medicine, is a practical rather than a
theoretical collection 21 ,". It is first and foremost a book of cures, not of diagnoses" or of the
aetiology of disease. However, in some remedies of a generally exorcistic nature there are
definite, if simple, indications of disease causation:
1. Some afflictions were thought to result from the action of a wyrm. OE wyrm was a
generic term for any worm-like or crawling creature: from intestinal worm, to any sort of
insect/maggot/tick/parasite, to snakes, to dragons; see OED "worm"'. Such beliefs must in
some cases at least have a rational explanation - man and livestock are liable to infestation in
unhygienic conditions by tapeworms, roundworms, and threadworms25, in addition to attacks
by stinging insects - but (as we have seen) Pinto [1973: 14-151 (see also Hampp [1961: 73])
believes that with regard to the "whole complex of worm-superstition" in much early
medieval medicine "we are dealing with a kind of Platonic "ideal worm," i.e. the
demon-worm".
Z According to an apparently aetiological pagan myth contained within the Nine Herbs
Charm a wyrm (also called a nceddre, a word which like xynn can denote insect-like
creatures as well as worms/snakes) was the source of flying poisons (see below): the wyrm
was prevented from biting by the Germanic god Woden, who struck it with nine
"glorious-twigs" (wuldortanas). The blow caused the snake to fly apart into nine bits (heo on
v7111 tofleah) which may arguably be identified as the nine wuldorgeflogenum "(?)ones
this is thought to be a fiction. See Slower [ 1 927: 76 n 3 18] and O hbgam [1990: article an Niall Naoi-Ghiallach] .
On the practical basis of much early medieval medicine see Riddle [ 1974] .
Parti cu l arly noteworth y is th e lads of any referen ce an Lacn . to th e th eory that sdcn ess resulted from an imba l an ce
in or corruption of the bodily fluids (a theory, foun d in looser form in BLch and more clearly in PD, which derived from
th e four ph ysiological humours of classical writers). See on the OE conception ofihe humours Cameron [ 1993 : chap. 14)
and Ayoub [1 99 5] .

'But note the diagnosis ofpodagra (i.e. here some form of foot disease other than simple gout) from its symptoms in
Entry CXX: Seo adl bid aswnflen 7 heo srhd wursme 7gilstre 7 seonuwafortoge ne 7 da tan scrinced up.
It was also applied to anal fistula - see 1. 694.
^' See Cook [ 1 9 87-8 : 17- 18 " Diseases Caused by Parasitic Worms"] .

121

which have fled from glory", beings which may have been identified themselves with the
nine airborne poisons and/or the nine onflyge (see below).
3. Airborne poison (fleogende attor) was thought to cause (unspecified) illness(es).
Judging from the Nine Herbs Charm, a related and complementary concept would seem to be
that of onflyge "attacking-fliers", though their precise nature is unknown.
4. Another airborne menace for man, and, especially it seems, for beast, was the
projectile or "shot" (gescot) sent by supernatural creatures, especially elves ("elf-shot").
Though this belief is sometimes thought by modem scholars of Anglo-Saxon medicine to
have been been residual by the late Anglo-Saxon period26, Lacn. Entry CXXVII casts real
doubt on this opinion with its vivid account of such a missile attack by "mighty women",
witches (or at least some form of powerful female being), pagan Germanic gods, and elves:
Stod under /inde,

under leohtum scylde,

fiver da mihtigan wij

7 by gvllende

hyra mcegen berceddon,

gams sandcm. (ll. 768-70)

5. It is possible that Lacn. may also record belief in a creature known as the "dwarf"
(dweorg dweorh) as the cause of convulsive fever. Entry LXKXVI, a much discussed and
problematic metrical charm, has been thought by some to detail the dwarf riding a human
victim in a manner typical of the creature known as the "mare" (OE mare; cf. Olcel. mara),
but I think this is very doubtful (see Commentary). In no instance of the OE word dweorg
can it be demonstrated that belief in the action of such a disease demon was, by the late
Anglo-Saxon period, extant as anything more than a residual linguistic fossil, that the word
had not come to denote simply the resulting disease "fever"'.
76 E. g. Hean ey [] 99 2a : 24-5 ] :
It is .., on ly in the metrical charm that elves are sh own takin g acti on to cause illness; elsewhere in the
medical texts we can onl y deduce th eir involvement by th e name of the disease. Elves as a cause of disea se in
An gl o-Saxon medi cin e are resi dual, in th e same way th at, in th e Yorkshire Dales fifty years ago, the local
farmers were still telling vets that a cow not respondin g to th eir medicines was suffering from a w orm in the
tail .

But with regard to the OE texts we could say much the same of the undoubted actions of the Devi l ! And I should
have thought that some of Meaney's own evidence from BLch brings the residual nature of belief in the disease-causing
elf into question : a remedy for an elf-shat horse in BLch (290/30) assumes that there are different types of elves Sy fiat
y[ja Pe him see, pis mceg to bote ("Whatever sort of elf it may be, this can serve as a remedy for it [i.e. for the horse] ").
Furthermore, with regard to th is point th e distincti on between th e incorporated metrical charm and other parts ofthe
medi cal texts i s of doubtful si gnifican ce. Th e metrical ch arm gives opportunity for expan si ven ess and part of its curative
strategy invo lves the specificati on and dramatisati on of the causes of th e il lness, wh erea s OE medica l prose is rarely
e xpans i ve about cau ses.
"Heaney 11992a : 18] rema rks that in Lac e. " a dwarf and an elf may be considered as equivalent". This is doubtful :
wh ile th ere is some evidence to su ggest blurring of the distincti on between th e cogn ate cr eatures in Mel literature (see
Mdz [ 1973 -41 and Sh ippey 1 1992 : 5 6 ] ^ w e have no Angl o-Saxon evi dence to determin e th e issue on e w ay or the other.

122

6. Another source of affliction was the action of the Devil and his demons (with which
might sometimes be identified the earlier pagan Germanic e1f49, mare, and (`dwarf. Their
action is often explicitly referred to, though it is more difficult to identify the resulting
affliction(s), e.g. wid eallum feondes costungum (1. 102), inimicos ualeam prosternere (1.
350), wid feondes hoed (1. 577), extingunt diabolus (1. 888) Diabolus lig[a]uit (1. 895), ut
non posit diabolus nocere ei (1. 909), celcre feondes costunge (1. 978)30. Possibly the
"loathsome one" (11. 540, 547, 554; also 1. 551 wradan?) and the "creatures" (1. 578 wihta) of
the Nine Herbs Charm should be included here.
7. Human agency as the cause of affliction appears rarely in OE medical texts, and
apparently never in Lacn.: the Nine Herbs Charm's reference (1 . 578) to malscrung is
possibly a reference to the "evil eye" (see Meaney [1992a: 12, 22-4])31 , but is attributed here
to the non-human agency "of evil creatures" (minra wihta).

8. Lacn. Entry CLXXIII (also extant in a variant version in BLch) includes one piece of
very simple causal theory which probably derives from Alexander of Tralles, namely that
cough has a diverse origin which is reflected in the nature of one's sweats (da swat, but BLch
has pia spat! which Meaney [1984a : 261] favours as the harder reading) : it results at times
from immoderate heat, cold, moisture, or dryness.
See further Meaney [1992a] for a useful survey of all known Anglo-Saxon beliefs
concerning the causes of disease (though she gives no reference to or discussion of the myth
of Woden and the wyrm) .

" Th ough the idea of a li ving l ate Angl o-Saxon belief in dwarfs and
in dwarfish possessio n is entertained by some
modem sch olars, e. g. Stuart [1976 ] .
3 A clear instance of the identification of devil and elf i s the statement A diuro to satanae diab u lus aelfae... in an
el eventh-century Anglo-Saxon champ (ed. S no. 61 ); cf. the beginning of an early th irteenth-certury Yorkshire exorcism
(ed. Wordsworth [190 3 : 402 , and see comments on 404-5 ] ), Coni u ro nos [si c] elphes & demones & omnia genera
ja ntasma ns... . See generally on the medieval church 's demmi aatim of the North ern European pagan deities and nature
spirits Russell [1972 : 11 0- 11] .
Fow ler [1 972 : 5 ( in the textual apparatus)] points out a scribal error in on e N4S of Wulfstan 's Canons ofEdgar in
wh ich the context of the deofles craft has mistakenly su ggested th e gl oss eluene to the word ellenum .

'These instances (see also e. g. S no. 41 , and Ju liana It. 46 8-504) clearly show that the Devil and evil spirits did
physicall y affe ct the body: Meaney [ 1 992a : 2 5 ] over-generalises in restricting their effects to the mind. Of course the
action of the devil in mflidu^g physical torment would ha ve been known to the Anglo-Saxons from the Biblical Book of
Job.
" Perhaps th e hcag tesse of Wid fce rsn ce (Lace. Entry C XXVII ) could be included here, but the nature of this
person/creature is uncertain.

123

SURVEY OF PREVI OUS SCHOLARSHIP

(NB. Previous scholarship on individual entries in Lacn. is not treated here, but in the Commentary)

Although parts of Lacn., most notably the metrical incantations (i.e. Entries LXXVI,
L}Q{XVI, CXXVII, CXLIX, CLXI, CLXII, CLXIII) and the other supposedly superstitious
elements, have received a great deal of critical attention, Lacn. as a whole has attracted less,
certainly much less than BLch. Critical assessments and notices of Lacn, have often been
disparaging, having being made by medical historians with a bias strongly in favour of what
they perceive to be the rational, efficacious and theoretically innovative, as opposed to the
apparently magical, ritualistic, and derivative. As a result Lacn., with its large number of
magical charms, has probably had more skewed and unenlightened opprobrium heaped upon
it than any other Anglo-Saxon document.
The history of scholarship of Lace. as a whole (as of OE medicine in general) begins in
the 1860s with the publication in the Rolls Series of T. O. Cockayne's pioneering threevolume edition of most of the OE medical texts, entitled Leechdoms, Wortcunning and
Starcraft of Early England (C). In the third volume (1866) C gives a usually reliable
transcription of the text of Lacn. (with the notable exception of the omission of Entry LXIV)
which also usefully reproduces MS capitalisation and apparent groupings of remedies, a
reasonably good (if archaic) but - unsurprisingly given the difficult subj ect matter - less
reliable English translation, and a valuable glossary of OE plant names found in Lacn. and
other OE medical texts . It is C who called the collection Lacnunga ("Remedies" (or as C has
it "Recipes")) , the name by which the collection has come to be known. Localised errors of
transcription and interpretation aside, there are two main failings of C' s edition: i. he does
not print the text of LL. in its rightful place in Lacn. (it is rather dealt with only separately
with other texts of LL. in vol . I, pp. lxviii-lxxiv) ; ii . unlike his edition of BLch, his edition of
Lacn. provides few references to Lat. sources and analogues or to variant versions of OE
remedies .

1 29

A significant advance in Lacn , scholarship came in 1942 with the publication of the
ASPR edition of the OE metrical charms in The Anglo-Saxon Minor Poems (ASPR 6 , pp.
cxxx-cxxxvii, 116-28, 207-20) . This presented for the first time very accurate texts of the
metrical charms in Lacn , together with brief but valuable textual and explanatory notes. In
lieu of a modern critical edition of the metrical charms, and despite its age, ASPR remains
the most reliable edition of these difficult texts .
In 1948 Godfrid Storms published his valuable, but not always reliable and now a little
dated in approach, Anglo-Saxon Magic (S). This is an edition of most of the Anglo-Saxon
charms (vernacular and Lat.) - and so of a considerable amount of Lacn. - with a parallel
translation, commentary and much prefatory matter on the characteristics of Anglo-Saxon
magic. The texts and translations are mostly good (though significant faults can be found,
and invented OE titles are sometimes silently given to remedies), and the commentary, while
often providing illuminating insights, is rather too ready to ascribe remedies and medical
practices to magical or Germanic pagan roots at the expense of their rational and/or
Christian elements. Furthermore, despite providing the most detailed treatment of, and
bibliography on, Anglo-Saxon magic up to that time, it is to be regretted that S takes no
account of the superior texts and notes on the metrical charms published in ASPR six years
earlier. With regard to Lacn. as a whole S (pp. 16-24) remarks (with considerable
exaggeration) that "there is something queer in almost every recipe", highlights the
haphazard ordering of the collection, and makes some doubtful statements about its sources
in relation to BLch. He concludes (misleadingly in my view) that the "Leechbook may be
characterised as the handbook of the Anglo-Saxon medical man, the Lacnunga of the
Anglo-Saxon medicine-man".
The next noteworthy - indeed single most significant - contribution to the study of Lacn.
was the eventual emergence after protracted delay, in 1952 of J. H. G. Grattan and Charles
Singer's Anglo-Saxon Magic and Medicine illustrated specially from the semi pagan text
"Lacnunga" (GS), at present the standard edition of Lacn. This was an advance upon the
editions of of C and L. It is a two-part book: Part I, entitled "A General Survey of
Magico-Medical Practice in Anglo-Saxon England", includes discussion of the character of

130
Anglo-Saxon medicine, of the possible genesis of Lacn., of the sources of Anglo-Saxon
medicine (largely derived from Singer's essay [1919-201), of the semantics of Anglo-Saxon
plant-names, and briefy of the "rational elements" in Anglo-Saxon medicine. Part II consists
of the text of Lacn. - very, but not completely, accurately transcribed and printed - helpfully
divided for the first time into separate numbered entries and with the metrical charms and
(for the first time) LL. in their rightful MS places, a usually accurate (if slightly archaizing)
parallel English translation, the differing textual readings of C and L, observations of
palaeographical detail, and brief explanatory notes. This is followed by a short description of
the MS and a "Brief Survey of the Grammar" (based partly on L and the unpublished B.A
thesis of Grattan's pupil Fazakerley [1945]).

There are, however, significant flaws in the edition, ones apparently unrelated to the
death of Grattan in 1951 just prior to publication. The editors propose (pp. 18-22) a
remarkably complicated, yet simplistically compartmentalising, and entirely unsubstantiated
and unconvincing, theory involving five "strata" of entries (designated a, b, c, d, and x) to
explain the disorganised state of the collections: stratum a was "perhaps made by the medicos
of a monastery" in the "ninth century". He "first adopted the ancient and recognized plan of
beginning with the head and working down to the feet" and "relied primarily on the stock of
A.S. leechcraft exemplified in the translations of pseudo-Apuleius [i.e. OEHerb]". He is
responsible for Entries I-XXIV (my nos. throughout), and other "considerable groupings"
such as LXVI-LXXV and LX)OVII-CXXV. GS think this collection may have originally
ended with Entry CLXXII. To stratum a was added stratum b (especially Entries LXXVI,
LXXVII, and CL)G-CLXIV) by "a second leech who was only very superficially
Christianized and was quite familiar with the persisent Paganism of the local folk. He was
not a resident in a monastery", but "collected charms, incantations, and rituals that were in
use by his brother leeches and by the people themselves". Stratum c (esp. Entries LXIII(ll.
268-)-LXV, and CL-CLXI(sic)) was "in due course" added by an "inmate of some small
monastery in the North in which Irish influence survived". He was "in major orders" and
"wrote chiefly in Latin". Entries in stratum d (from Entry CLX30CII onwards) have "little

''Itiere is a summary of the th eory in Hollis & Wright 11992 : 223] .

131

relation to earlier Entries and were presumably added by the scribe himself'. Some other
entries - called "neutral" and designated x - "might have come into the collection at any
time".
Furthermore, GS make some editorial decisions which now seem unwarranted and
sometimes clearly mistaken: they make numerous erroneous or unnecessary minor textual
emendations which either misrepresent the intended sense or obscure a linguistically
interesting form; more serious is the generally intrusive nature of their editorial approach individual groups of remedies are supplied with prominent headings in the translation which,
though sometimes useful, are too often speculative and misleading: note especially the
erroneous division of the Nine Herbs Charm (Entry LXXVI in my edition) into three separate
charms, the arbitrary and inaccurate division of Entry LXIII into "Rite for Salve, Partly Irish"
(my It. 235-67) and "Three Christian Prayers" (my R. 268-89), the incorrect decision to move
1. 892 to head Entry CLXI, the mistaken heading "Fragment of Lost Apocrypha as Charm" to
U. 297-314, and the misleadingly simplistic heading of several charms that include explicity
Christian elements (e.g. Entries LXXVI, CXXVII, and CLXI) as "Pagan". Furthermore, GS
identify few variant versions of remedies in Lacn. - versions which occasionally provide
insights into scribal errors in Lacn. - and few sources. Their analysis of the MS is rather
cursory, it is also inaccurate with regard to the number of scribes and the quiring of the
codex. They also make little or no mention of earlier scholarship on the text (indeed they
show no awareness at all of the editions of G, ASPR, S, or Hoops [1889: 552]), and
provide an inadequate bibliography. Finally, despite the indication of the title page and
references to it in the footnotes, no glossary of OE words is provided
Another problem with GS is that, despite spending decades on their edition - as Barley
[1972: 67] observes - the editors never developed "the anthropological perspective" required
to appreciate, rather than balk at, elements of a supposedly irrational nature; rather they
simply perceive from a highly selective and rather unenlightening diachronic historical
perspective "the deterioration of rational Greek medicine by contact with folk-elements", and
as a result do not value Anglo-Saxon medicine ((p. 92) "[a] mass of folly and credulity") at
all highly. For GS Lacn. with its "folk-elements" is (p. 7) "on as low a cultural level as any

132

[document] in the A. S . language" . Not only this, but Anglo-Saxon medicine (and so Lacn .
which (p. 94) "dwells in the barbarian world of magic and hardly emerges therefrom") is not
"an early stage in what is to become a great intellectual movement. On the contrary it is the
last stage of a process that has left no legitimate successor, a final pathological disintegration
of the great system of Greek medical thought" .
A more recent - and in my view seriously misleading - treatment of Lacn. by a medical
historian is that of C. H. Talbot in his book Medicine in Medi eval England [1967 : 21-3 ] (see
further my discussion in "Reassessment of Lacn. " below) . Talbot, who was also evidently
prejudiced against magical and superstitious texts, consequently has (like GS) a particularly
low regard for Lacn . For him it contains "nonsense" (p. 22) , is "a rambling collection" (p.
23), and a "farrago of superstitions and incantations" (p. 23) . More significant is his repeated
assertion to the effect that, despite the considerable critical attention Lacn . has received,
Lacn. is "not typical of the culture of the period" , that "in a society which produced writers
like Aelfric, Aethelweard ... Wulfstan, Bishop of London, Byrhtferth and others, superstition
and magic would have little place" , that even in Bede's time "the kind of nonsense that
appears in Lacnunga was not tolerated" , that "to lay great emphasis ... on a single
extravagant text like the Lacnunga is to throw everything out of perspective" . Talbot is also
keen to distance Lace. from BLch . He asserts (pp. 18-19) that:
What has to be insisted upon is that the Leech-book is not barbarous, full of
folk-lore, charms, incantations and the like; such a judgement could be passed only
by those who have never read it attentively .... far from the Leech-Book being a
tissue of folk remedies and irrational ideas, it embodies some of the best medical
literature available to the West at that time.
1974 saw the publication of Stanley Rubin's Medieval English Medicine. Unfortunately,
however, Rubin's description of Lacn. (pp. 62-5) is of little individual worth, being based
almost entirely on Singer's earlier treatment of the texi in the introduction to GS, but
showing a lack of balance, and introducing some new errors which indicate a surprising lack
of first-hand knowledge of the textb. Rubin stresses the large number of charms in Lacn., and
'E.g. (p. 62) "The Northern god .sir ... is represented as a protection against "elfshd" in a poem or lay of totally
pagan diarader" (the.^Esir of course are pl., and the charm in question (Lace. Entry CYXVII) is against them!); (p. 65)

133
is dismissive of its many Christian elements. For him Lacn. is "an inferior medical work".
The reader of this book - as of Talbot's - would be surprised to learn that much of Lacn. in
fact consists of herbal remedies of exactly the same type as those found in BLch .
Several recent responses, partly as a result of the rise of and interest in folklore (and the
"anthropological perspective") as an academic discipline, are less embarrassed by and
prejudiced against Lacn.'s folkloric and ritualistic elements, though they are still not always
well-informed .
H. R. Loyn in A nglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest [ 1962: 286 1 stresses the
significance of Lacn., apparently on the basis of his reading of GS, as the "key manuscript"
(a moot point) for Anglo-Saxon medicine, but concedes that it "can scarcely be held up as a
tribute to Anglo-Saxon medicine, let alone to the Anglo-Saxon vernacular". That Lace. is a
key MS is indisputable, and though it like the vast majority of ancient and medieval
medicine was largely of limited or no medicinal efficacy, there is nothing objectionable about
its OE vernacular.
Wilfrid Bonner [1963: 25], a student primarily of Anglo-Saxon folklore, remarks
(unsurprisingly from this viewpoint) that Lacn. "is in many respects the most interesting of
all the sources, especially as the pagan element is strongest here". His The Medical
Background ofAnglo-Saxon England is a very useful source of reference for Anglo-Saxon
and analogous medical folklore rather than for OE medicine in general, since Bonner did not
believe that the herbal remedies were actually used, and so did not investigate the therapeutic
qualities of the majority of extant OE remedies. He also gives very little information about
the Lat. sources of OE medicine.
Valerie Flint, in her study The Rise oJblagic in Early Medieval Europe [1991], has also
found Lacn . to be of the greatest interest and value, and (also unsurprisingly) comes to an
assessment entirely opposed to those of GS and Talbot; indeed for her (p. 313) "Lacnunga is
magnificent" , a (p. 312) "veritable quarry" , from which (p. 312) "it is impossible to refrain
from quoting" .

"some senten ces in corrupt Irish are included in the prayer [i .e. LL. ] " (the corrupt Irish is in oth er ch arm s in Lacn, not in
the LL., which is an Irish La t. composition).

1 34
Also in more recent years the study of Anglo-Saxon medicine has advanced
significantly, with modem critical editions of all the major OE medical texts being either
published, in preparation for publication, or the subject of theses; the publications of John
Riddle (see below), Linda Voigts (see below), Peter Bierbaumer (a three-volume dictionary of
OE plant names, Lacn. being treated in Bierb2), Audrey Meaney', and particularly M. L.
Cameron, are also major contributions which have shed much new light on the subject.
In his articles "The Introduction and Use of Eastern Drugs in the Early Middle Ages"
[1965] and "Theory and Practice in Medieval Medicine" [1974] Riddle addresses the hitherto
prevailing opinion of scholars such as Singer and Bonser, that Anglo-Saxon herbal remedies
were merely empty scribal exercises in the copying of "sterile formulae" which were not
intended for actual use, and which often required plants that were not to be found in
England. Against this belief Riddle argues convincingly that, for example, the compilation of
new remedies often derived from folk medicine, documentary evidence of practising
physicians, references to drugs that can only be found in the Orient (some of which - like
zedoary which is used in Lacn. - were unknown to Classical antiquity), and evidence of the
importation of exotic drugs, make the conclusion inescapable that the remedies could be used
and so were used. Furthermore, as he points out [1974: 164-51, simply because many early
medieval remedies were copied from classical works is no reason to suppose they were not
still used - "Good medicine ... aims at curing, not at novelty ... early medieval medicine was
a partly empirical, partly traditional skill"! I would add the obvious but fundamental point
that the very translation of Lat medical texts into OE is surely evidence of a motivation for
use far more serious and earnest than that of mere scribal copying.
Voigts, in her article "Anglo-Saxon Plant Remedies and the Anglo-Saxons" [1979b],
also attacks the opinion of Singer and Bonser. She points out i. the very considerable effort
and expense that went into the production of merely the extant Anglo-Saxon medical texts
("more than five hundred leaves or one thousand manuscript pages"); ii. that illustrations in

'According to Parergon 10 [1992: 6]^ Audrey Meaney is currently working on a book Heathenism to Superstition
in Anglo-Saxon England (an interdisciplinary study of early English heathenism and what was subsequently considered
idolatrous by Christians) -doubtless this will contain important insights into OE medicine, and especially into Lacn.

'For evidence of the adaptation in translation rather than the passive reproduction of learned medical tens in BLch
see Talbot [1965].

135
the herbals are formal stylizations which "are not by definition useless if one has had any
experience with the depicted plant"; iii. that OEHerb displays evidence of the omission of
some material non-essential for the finding and use of the plant, and some reorganisation of
material - again for practical effect - and the addition and refinement of contents lists to
facilitate easier reference; iv. that OE medical texts show other clear signs of use
("improvements in codex") - marginal annotations of various types, a fixed leather
"bookmark" in QENerb in Bodleian Library MS Hatton 76 to mark the start of this text, and
numerous later eleventh- and twelfth-century additions; v. that there is ample evidence of
early medieval exchange and trade in Mediterranean and Eastern drugs; vi. that non-native
plants might also be cultivated in monastic herb gardens, particularly in a climate in which,
c. A.D. 1000-1200, "mean annual temperatures in Northern Europe were at least 1 to 2 C
higher than they are now, and annual rainfall was 10 percent less than its present amount".
Meaney, in addition to a detailed study of Anglo-Saxon amulets [1981], and a study of
the Anglo-Saxon causes of disease [1992a] (see above), has contributed a very important
article [ 1984a] on the textual relationships of Lacn., BLch. and LchBk3.
M. L. Cameron has written several articles on Anglo-Saxon medicine which touch upon
Lacn. (see Bibliography), culminating in his valuable book Anglo-Saxon Medicine [1993]
((p. ix) "an attempt to explain the rational basis of Anglo-Saxon medicine in the light of
modern physiology and pharmacology"). In these publications Cameron - among other
things - identifies and discusses many of the Lat. sources for Anglo-Saxon medicine
(particularly with regard to their use in BLch), describes the nature and characteristics of the
major OE medical texts, highlights the likely physiological efficacy of many remedies
(including some that had previously been interpreted as purely magical), and contributes to
our understanding of some of the more difficult OE words for diseases and plants.
Finally, one curious work must be mentioned: The Way of Wyrd: Tales of an
Anglo-Saxon Sorcerer by Brian Bates [1983]. This is a novel, written by a professional
psychologist after "a major research project into the nature of Anglo-Saxon sorcery", that
claims to be "a work of psychological archaeology" telling, in fictional narrative form, "a

1 36

historically documented mission which in the late 600s travelled to the still pagan south
coast of England" . The author explains :
I have told the story of The Way of Wyrd through the eyes of a scribe attached to the
mission; a man whom I imagine to be the original creator of the Lacnunga
manuscript. This book documents a Western way of spiritual liberation by
chronicling the path the author of the Lacnunga might have followed in gathering
his material - by becoming a sorcerer's apprentice and entering The Way of Wyrd,
While it has some dramatic and thought-provoking scenes of spirit combat and
exorcism, the book, considered as a key to the appreciation and understanding of Lacn., is
disappointing and of little scholarly value. There are inexplicably few points of clear
correspondence with OE documentary sources, too much speculation and probable
inaccuracy for it to have scholarly merit9 - if the author has knowledge of traditional healing
techniques it is difficult to see why he has not, with the possible exception of an
unnecessarily adapted form of the counting-out charm (Lacn. Entry CLIII), attempted to
dramatize and contextualize any of the fascinating situations described and implied in Lacn.'s
metrical and other incantations. Other serious problems with the book are that it presupposes
an early date for Lacn.'s composition, and concentrates almost entirely on perceived concepts
of native Germanic magic and shamanism (aspects which are certainly present in Lacn., but
are only one (small) part of what is a characteristically many-layered text) - the book makes
no attempt to define the synchronic relationship between the overtly Christian elements and
the areligious or specifically pagan Germanic beliefs and superstitions as they stand in the
eleventh-century MS in late Anglo-Saxon society, but sees the question only in relation to
conditions as imagined four hundred years earlier.

[Lacn . is also referred to with brief interest and some inaccuracy in a number of recent books
and television programmes 10 on herbal medicine, though they appear to know the text only at
'Page [19 9 5 : 3 1 5 -6] obje cts to Wales's perception of an intimate link between run ic writin g and paganism, an d a
corresponding belief that run es were in conflict with Christianity. He also ri ghtly qu estions Wales's reference (p. 7 8) to
runes carved on sticks used as lotteries (an idea, dou btless derived from chapter ten of the Germ ania of Tacitus, which
was once applied - irrelevantly - to Woden's use of n in e wuldortanas in the Nine Herbs Charm (11 . 566-7)).
10 An edition of the BBC 2 television pcoganvne Garde ner's World a few years ago referred indirectly to th e Ni ne
Herbs Charm w ith referen ce to h erbs once considered sawed to the god Woden ; it may a lso be remarked that an other
recent B BC 1 television series by Dr. Davi d Bel lamy (Blooming Bellamy), though it made no referen ce to Lacn ., di d
show an interest in old herbal remedies, referring for examp l e to the medieval Welsh remedies of the Physicians of

137
second-hand. They continue the long-standing tradition of interest in the Nine Herbs
Charm" ]

My ddvai .
" In the Encyclopedia ofHer6s and Herbahsm edited by Malcolm Stuart [199 4 : 1 9] we are wrongly informed th at
Lacn. " con sists chie fly of a poem in pra ise of th e nin e sa cred h erbs of th e Nordic god Woden ", and in Kay San edci's
ch ron o logical survey of En gli sh herbal ism [1 99 2 , republ . 1994: 12 - 13] we are misinformed th at the Lacu ng4 (sic!) is a
" remarkable manuscript ... set i n verse" (my ita l ics).
In Huron 11974 : 2 6 5 -8] a tran slation of th e Nine Herbs Charm is given as the ma in representative of " Saxon
WoRcwm ing"

1 38

REASSESSMENT OF LACNUNGA

How then, in view of these conflicting scholarly opinions, is Lacn. to be assessed? Firstly
and crucially, it must be recognized that Lacn. cannot, as Talbot believes (see above), be
dismissively considered in isolation from the other OE medical texts: it is obvious that Lacn.
is not of fundamentally different character from them. Indeed, as the Table of Extant
Anglo-Saxon Variant Versions of Entries in Lacnunga shows, Lacn. shares a substantial
number of remedies with BLch, LchBk3 and OEHerb. Lacn. is distinguished from BLch
(particularly Bk II) and LchBk3 by the proportionally greater extent rather than by the very
nature of its areligious and Christian ritualistic/magical/superstitious contents`. For although
they are less prominent, such elements are very far from absent from BLch and LchBk32.
Furthermore, the considerable number of miscellaneous OE and Lat. charms found in
numerous other Anglo-Saxon MSS' is testimony to the fact that - as far as can be gathered
from surviving records - Lacn.'s contents are characteristic of Anglo-Saxon medicine.

'One other feature - in addition to th e lade of overall organ i sation m Lace. - which distin guishes Lacn . from BLch
(but not from LchBk3 or OEHerb) is the absence of surgical pra ct ice (w ith the exception of blood-lettin g). Whereas there
are a few worryingly ambitious procedures described in BLch (for hare-lip, isc h emia, an d abscess of the liver (see
Cameron [ 1 993 : chap . 15] )^ the most Lacn . attempts is to open the head of some form or Blain or bo il (L 6 32 openige
m on ponne dott). While some medical h istorians may regret this l ade of invention, ambition, or knowledge, it may w ell
be thou ght that, for an age of poor personal hygi ene which only had weak antibiotics, the tmmtiusive approach of Lacn.
ou ght not to be dispara ged.
' In BLch Bk I we find e . g an Iri sh charm (5 4 1 2 - 1 7), a ritual an d charm (76 14 1 8 a bl oody ritual wry
( 1 04 6- 11
a foxs tooth amulet ( 1 04 12 - 13 ), a gebed 7 gealdor of SL John ( 112 2-23 ^ another Irish ch arm
( 112 /24-114 1 ^ anoth er charm ( 114 1 -3 ), use of paradisal bark ( 1 1 4 3 -6), use of prayers and tamin g round with the sun
( 116 8- 1 0^ superstitious use of th e Pater poster in h erb gath ering ( 1 16 141 6 use of holy water (1 3 6 1 ), ritualistic use
of a pater, holy water, prayers, psa lm and a charm ( 13 6 3 -23 ^ exorcistic drinking from a church bell (1 3 6 2 9-3 0;
138 6 ^ use of l ichen from a cross ( 138/ 1 recitati on of masses over plants ( 138l1 0.11 ^ a charm wig c81cre yfelre
leodrun an 7 wrd aljsidenne (1 38 24-6 masses sung over p lants, holy water, charms, and superstit i ous ritual
( 140 13 -2 9^ another bloody ritual cure ( 144 6-8 ), th e con sumption of swall ows before a fight ( 1 5 4/7-9), a mugwort
amu l et, herb-gatherin g formula, and si gn ing with the cross (154/11-15^ recitati on of masses and use of holy water for
elfshd ( 1 5 6 26-9 the pricking of a h orse with a n eedl e fa elf-sh ot (156 3 0. 1 ).
Towards the and of BLch Bk II we find th e signin g of patients with the cross (288 /2 0-4^ some stone-lore
(290/9-2 0^ a superstitious Christian elf-shot remedy ( 2 90 22 -31 ), th e crossin g of the body and prayers (2 9 4 1 5- 1 7), a
Christian herbal remedy potent a gainst all ills for a year (2 9 4 23 -2 96 51 a remedy wid cslfe 7 wip uncupu m sidsan
( 2 96 /9- 13 ^ the use of hol y water and holy salt (2 96 2 6-7 and more superstitious ston e-lore ( 2 96 3 0-2 98 15 ).
In LchBk3 we find e. g amul etic use of three ston es from swallows (an d th e stipulation that th ey must tou ch n eith er
earth, water, n or other ston es) (3 06 6 - 14), the gath erin g of pl anta in w ith out iron, and the apotropai c use of th e colour red
( 3 06 16- 19 ), an amulet made fr om crab's eyes (3 06/21 -4 ), a sp indle-wh irl amul et (31 0/2 5 -6 ^ a superstiti ous ritual and
charm (318 19-32 0/2 ), an other ch arm (322 /7-9^ the whipping of a lunatic w ith a whip made from th e skin of a porpoise
(334 2 -41 th e recitation of masses over h erbs placed ben eath an altar (334/8-9^ the oon sumptim of gehalgodne hlaf
( 334 24^ the apotropaic use of a red plant ( 342 1 7-2 0), a gain th e recitati on of masses over h erbs pla ced beneath an altar
( 344 14-15 ), si gning with the cross ( 344 2 0), the use of h oly lich en, font water, masses and prayers (344 22 -6-3 48 2 1 a
charm, exorcismal formulae, an d ritu alisti c signin g of th e patient with a cross (348 22 -3 50/2 0 an OE metrical charm
(350 22 -35 2 6) (AS P R 6, no. 'n, th e use of masses over drink , holy water, and a Christi an formula (35 2/11-18^
superstiti ous remedy gif man sit gegym ed (3 5 2 2 0-3 5 4 8), exorcismal drinks (3 5 4 24-3 56 3 ^ and superstitious
Christian ritual with plants (3 56 5 - 11 ).
3A list of most of those in (or conta in in g) OE prose can be found in Hollis & Wright [1 992 : 23 9-49 ] .

139
Secondly, it must be remembered that it is extremely doubtful whether Lacn ., unlike
BLch, LchBk3 and OEHerb , may be considered a single unified text . Consequently it must
not

be judged as if it were one - it is certainly a "rambling collection" (Talbot's

description) , but this need not be taken as evidence against the compiler's (or for that matter
the scribes') competence or diligence (and so a reflection of the degenerate nature - as some
would see it - of much of the material), but merely as an indication of a different compilatory
strategy. For Lacn. looks, as several scholars have observed (e. g. Cameron [1993 : 46]), much
more like the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of a modem-day note-book (GS (p. 95) and Cameron
[1993 : 471 call it a "commonplace book") , additions perhaps having been made to the
collection when possible (hence the intermittently varying quality of the script?) , but no
attempt having been made to organise the material into any logical order or to provide a
table of contents .
Recently Cameron [1993 : 461 has remarked that "carelessness is a glaring characteristic
of Lacnunga". This is a rather harsh statement, particularly as it is often difficult to
distinguish carelessness from ignorance, or from fidelity to already corrupt and obscured
sources (such as is probably the case with 11. 285-7). The main scribe (or scribes) certainly
made many minor mechanical transcriptional errors, but very many of these he himself
corrected. On the whole the OE passages are competently transcribed in so far as they
require, with one exception (noted by Cameron [1993: 46-7]) where a scribe appears to have
mistakenly incorporated a marginal remedy into the middle of another", only occasional
minor emendations. The scribe's (or scribes') knowledge of Lat., however, is probably poor at
best, there being numerous errors in the Lat. passages (though perhaps fewer in the difficult
LL. than might have been expected). Some of these might be mere mechanical errors not
necessarily indicative of ignorance (e.g. the omission of abbreviation signs in 1. 276
ex[er]citus, 1. 308 i[n], 1. 910 fra[nJgere), but many others (even accounting for fidelity to
corrupt sources) one might have expected to be corrected by a scribe possessed of only a
rudimentary knowledge of Lat. (e.g. 1. 265 sed for sic, 1. 268 rigo for rogo, 1. 304 fait for
' Cameron 's oth er instance of "glaring carel essness" con cerns th e presen ce of a h eadin g stipulating a foll owin g
twenty-eight remedies in Lacn ., wh ereas on ly th irteen are found. Whether or not this results from carelessness, BLch is
a lso at fault in the correspon ding ch apter, as I count thirty-one remedies (not twenty-eight as C ameron [1 993 : 46 1
mainta ins) there. See Commentary to Entry I.Y.Y,YVII .

140

fugit, 1 . 895 lignnuit for ligauit, 1. 902 trios for tristis, 1. 1046 potest for potes) . Carelessness
on the part of a scribe may or may not account for the misplacing of the Lat. heading 1. 899.
Cameron's final comment [1993 : 471 on Lacn. and its compiler (or scribe(s)) also needs
qualification :
But we must not be too hard on him. Precisely because he was inattentive and
ignorant, a great deal of interesting material got past him and was recorded in his
commonplace book. Consequently, we find in it two outstanding pagan charms, one
for sudden stitch caused by the assaults of witches, elves and JEsir, the other for
dweorh, a fever with delirium. There are also other charms of Teutonic origin, ones
from Ireland and ones which are purely Christian. It is invaluable as a source of
superstitious medicine, and although it nowhere reflects the best in Anglo-Saxon
medical practice, it gives a fascinating insight into its less rational aspects.
Lacn.'s position as the foremost extant repository of Anglo-Saxon medical folklore is
assured - but Cameron's assessment, like those of all earlier commentators is liable to give
the impression that Lacn. is full of charms. In fact if we exclude prayers - though the
distinction between prayer and charm is admittedly sometimes a fine, if not arbitrary, one then the thirty-one charms amount to less than a sixth of the total number of entries.
Furthermore, there is no reason to suppose that the compiler(s) or scribe(s) was especially
inattentive and no reason to assume that - a few odd words perhaps excepted - he did not
understand the OE passages he wrote down. And even he were demonstrably inattentive
and ignorant of OE, in view of the presence of charms for elves, elf-shot, witchcraft, a
metrical charm (probably with pagan Germanic roots) for the "water-elf disease", Irish
charms, and purely Christian charms in the orderly and handsome MS of BLch and LchBk3
(see above), we can hardly argue on that account that such elements are fortuitously present
in Lacn.

While, unlike the other major OE medical texts, Lacn. displays no consistent and
thorough-going principle of order, it is in my opinion clear that it, tike the other OE medical

' Charms comprise (or are found in) Entries JXTI, XXV, )'VI, XXVII, LkTII, = , = VI, I =Da, I.X^TII,
LA'}CaVI, LM'A'VIII, CX{VI, OC-i{VII, CXa'XVII, CXL.D{, CLII, CLIII, CLIV, CLV, CLVI, CLVII, CLVIII, CI.-.C,
CL\7 , C L.XII , CLUII, CLXIV, CLXV, CLYVIII, CLt7.1, and CL L1' aIl.

141
texts, is not a collection of sterile scribal exercises never intended for practical use6. In
addition to the presence of many of Lacn.'s remedies in other Anglo-Saxon MSS, it may be
noted that there are marginal annotations in Harley 585 (particularly in the contents list of
OEHerb) which probably served to highlight remedies once thought to be of particular
interest or use (although the numerous nota signs in Lacn. are thought to be later medieval,
at least the hand on fol. 132r pointing to Entry XII may be contemporary). Furthermore,
there are incantations, amulets, and prayers apparently derived from folk traditions which
place no obvious practical obstacles in the way of their use (and when incorporated with
extensive herbal ingredients presumably also indicate active usage); there are also later Lat.
and Anglo-Norman additions possibly bearing testimony to continuity of use, and a few ME
annotations that might (but need not) also conceivably be indicative of continued active
interest (see Textual Apparatus and also the lists in Description of the Manuscript).
Furthermore, Lacn. is, in my opinion, a small enough collection for its usefulness not to
suffer too greatly from the lack of a contents list: remedies for the same type of ailment are
often grouped together, and, since the page layout of some of the lengthier entries,
particularly LL. and the Nine Herbs Charm, is quite distinctive, once one has a fair idea
where a particular remedy is in relation to these two texts and the start and end of the
collection it is usually not too difficult to locate. It might also be suggested that Lacn. (like
perhaps PD - another remedy collection ordered by affliction - which also follows a text of
OEHerb in its MS) was intended to complement OEHerb: whereas the latter lists remedies
under individual plant names (and so requires the user to have prior knowledge of the uses of
the plant), Lacn. merely requires one to find a remedy with a heading corresponding to the
ailment concerned.
Most telling of all, I think, is the probability that an experienced Anglo-Saxon doctor or
patient would not have resorted to Lacn. entirely in vain - although the vast majority of the
remedies in Lacn. may have been of minimal efficacy at best, by my conservative reckoning
at least ten percent of the herbal remedies prescribed may have been of some physiologically
therapeutic effect for minor afflictions (for details see Commentary); as for the incantations,

6 S ee also remarks upon the work of John Riddle and Linda Voigts in Survey of Previous Scholarship.

142
amulets and prayers, it requires little imagination on the part of a modern reader, equipped
with an "anthropological perspective", to realise that many of these, perhaps particularly the
evocative metrical incantations, may well have been of some psychological (and so possibly
physical according to recent scientific studies of hormonal responses to placebo suggestion)
assistance to the sufferer, particularly with regard to any psychosomatic problems. It is clear
from the continuous use for over a millenium of a charm such as Entry CLVIII (the
"Petrussegen") that charms have played an important and valued part in the history of
English popular medicine.
Finally, we may ask what status a remedy collection such as Lacn. may have held in
Anglo-Saxon society. It appears from the standpoint of religious authorities including the
late Anglo-Saxon Christian homilists klfric and Wulfstan (and possibly of secular law) that
some - but not most' - of its treatments may be of a type that was officially (though that is by
no means necessarily to say commonly) condemned. Several Anglo-Saxon regulations
(collections are made by G (pp. 140-2), and by Linsell [1994: 158-64](translations only))
forbid the use of incantations (galdra), a word which is used of several remedies in Lacn.
(Entries XXVI (and XXVII), LXIII (11. 254 wyrnrgealdor, 255-6 (and so Entries XXV and
L=II), LXXVI and LXXXVI)), and which might doubtless also describe the incantations
in a number of others (especially Entries XXII, CXXVII, CXXXVII, CLIII, CLN, CLXI,
CLXII, CLXIII and CLXIV)$. Some notable examples of these regulations:
The Penitential oJEgbert (c. 750) (cited by G (p. 140)):
Nis na sodlrce alyfed nanum cristenum men Pat he idele hwatunga bega, swa
hcedene men dod (juet is, Piet hig gelyfon on sunnan and on monan ...and secon
Lida hwatunga hyra ding to begynnanne), ne wyrta gaderunge mid nanum galdre,

'tE lfrics h omi ly on "Il e Passi m of St. Barth olom ew th e Apostle " (ed.Th orpe 1 1 8 43 , 1 8 46: 474-6 ] ):
We habbad hxa,dere /ia bysne on halgu m bocu m , Piet mot se de wile m id sodum laeeercefte his lieham an
ge tempna n, swa sxa dyde se witega Isaias, Pe worh te dam qminge Eechie ckdan to h is dolge, an d h ine
gelacnode.
Se versa Augu sh mrs cxwd, Pat unpleolic sy beah h wa lcece-wyrte dirge: ac Pat he told to
unalyfedlice re wigkinge, gif h wa da wyrta on hi m becnitte, buton he hi to dam dolge gelecge.
laeah- hxtisdere ne sceole wee erne hi ht on lace- wynum besettan, ac on done fElm rh ngan Scyppend, fie dam
x3wum do n e crab forgeaf.
K i s, h owever, cl ear that the w ord galdor could al so den ote lega ll y and morall y sanction ed utteran ces - e.g. in the
poem Guth lac B (ed. Roberts 11 979: 11 9, 11. 1 2 06-7]) th e servant a d dresses th e saint and remarks:

Nis Pe ende feor

Pas,be rc on galdnim [i. e. "in divmations"] ongiete n hcabbe.

143
butan mid Paternoster and mid Credan, odde mid sumon gebede die to Gode
belimpe.'
The Confessional ofEgbert (c. 950-1000) (cited by G (p. 140)):
GiJwijdrycrceft and galdor and unlibban wyrce, jceste xii monad, odde iii cefcestenu
We xl nihta, gewite hu mycel seofyren sig.
Wulfsta n's Canons ofEdgar (ed. Fowler [1 972: 5, no. 1 6] ):
And riht is Pat preosta gehwylc cristendom geornlice lcere and celcne hce,bendom
mid ealle adwresce; andforbeode wyllweordunga, and licwigelunga, and hwata, and
galdra, and treowwurdunga, and stamvurdunga, and done deoJles crceft die man
dryhd firer man pia cild Purh pia eordan tihd, and da gemearr die man drihd on
geares niht on mislrcum wigelungum and on frrdsplottum and on ellenum, and on
manegum miselicum gedwimerum die men on dreogad felaPcesPe hi ne sceoldan.

)Elfric, in his homily on "The Passion of St. Bartholomew the Apostle" declares that (ed.
Thorpe [1843, 1846: 474]):
Se cristena mane de on cenigre pissere gelicnysse bid gebrocod, and he donne his
ha/de secan style at unalyfedum tilungum, odde at xyrigedum galdrum, obbe wt
cenigum wiccecrcefle,

donne bid he dam hce8enum mannum gelic, die dam

deojo/gylde geoffrodon for heora lichaman hielde, and swa heora sawla amyrdon.
Se de geuntrumod beo, bidde his hwle at his Drihhre, and gedyldelice pia swingla
forbere; loc hu Lange se soda lace hit joresceawige, and ne beceapige na durh
mnigne deofles craft mid his sawle dies lichaman gesundjulnysse; bidde eac goddra
manna bletsunge, and yet halgum reliquium his hale gesece. Nis nanum cristenum
menu alyjed ftret he his heeJe gefecce at nanum stave, ne at nanum Ireowe, buton
hit sy halig Godes hus: se de eJles ded, he begirt) untwylice hcedengild.

In the same homily he too condemns the recitation ofgaldra over herbs (p. 476):
Ne sceal van man mid gnldre wyrte besingan, ac mid Godes wordum hi gebletsian,
and swa dicgan.

'Ihere is, however, uncertainty concerning how far the Penitential of Egbert is a source for English rather than
continental European superstitions - see Meaney [1992b].

144

In his homily on "The Octaves and Circumcision of Our Lord" we learn that the
destruction of God's creatures - even wyrmcynn - without his blessing is wrong, for they may
function as agents of his divine vengeance against sins (ed. Thorpe [1843, 1846: 102]):
Jba gesceafta de sind Jrnyrlice geduhte, hi sind to wrace gesceapene yfel-dcedum.
Oft halige men wunedon on westene betwux rectum wulfum and leonum, betwux
eallum deorcynne and wyrmcynne, and him nan ding derian ne mihte; ac hi totceron
pia hyrnedan nceddran mid heora nacedum handum, and pia micclan dracan ea6elice
acwealdon, buton cPlcere dare, Purh Godes mihte.
Wa dam men be bric8 Godes gesceafta, buton his bletsunge, mid deojellicum
wiglungum donne se deoda lareow cwced, Paulus, "Swa hwcet swa ge doa on worde,
odde on weorce, dod symle on Drihlnes Haman, fiancigende Siam -,Elmihtigan Fader
Jiurh his Bearn. "Nis dices mannes cristendom naht, fie mid deo>licum wiglungum his
/ijadrihd; he is gehiwod to cristenum men, and is earm hc8dengylda; swa swa se
ylca apostol be swylcum cwced, "Ic wene Pat is swunce on ydel, dada is eow to
Gode gebigde: nu ge cepad dagas and mondas and ydelum wiglungum.

See also Commentary to 1. 648 for Alcuin's condemnation of amulets such as that found
in Lacn. Entry LXXXVI.
In view of such regulations Lacn. Entry LXXVI (the Nine Herbs Charm) deserves
particular attention: not only is it a galdor (1. 602), but it probably also preserves elements of
native pagan animism in its references to sentient herbs (e.g. U. 535 -6 Gemyne du,
Alucgxyrt, hwcet bu ameldodest, hwret Diu renadest cet Regenmelde); it also contains an
apparently magical pagan story - though not necessarily one that is viewed in a positive light
by the charm - concerning none other than the chief Germanic god Woden (euhemerized?);
less certainly it might also preserve a vestige of sun superstition in the reference to plantain
being eastan op[e]n[o], finnan mihtigu; it is surely very closely related to the forbidden
pagan practice of enchanting herbs with incantations.
From lElfric's point of view in particular Lacn.'s incantations against yrmas may stand
accused: Entries XXII (incantation to slay the tooth-wyrn:), XXVI (Irish galdor to slay a
swallowed wyrm), Entry LXIII's reference to bcet wyrmgealdor, and Entry LXXVI (the Nine

145

Herbs Charm - a galdor whose Christian composer or adaptor )Elfric might well have
thought is gehiwod to cristenum men, and is earm hcedengylda). Furthermore, it is hard to
imagine that the corrupt Irish incantations in Lacn., which a late and uncomprehending
Anglo-Saxon churchman might well have interpreted as demonic babbling, or the metrical
charm Wid jcerstice with its remedial efficacy dependent - like the Nine Herbs Charm primarily upon the doctor's individual shamanic might rather than God's power, would be
thought innocuous by fElfric or Wulfstan 10.
Lacn. is certainly not, however, alone in apparently failing to always satisfy the
strictures of secular and religious law. BLch, LchBk3 and the numerous miscellaneous cures
also have their ga/dra, together with other "suspect" practices (e.g. a remedy in BLch
(114/7-8), in which hot sheep's blood is to be drunk, which transgresses Wulfstan's
prohibition (ed. Fowler [1972: no. 53, p. 13, and see n, p. 371) And riht is fiat cenig criste
man blod ne Pycge". It is clear, and not at all surprising given the tenacious nature of
everyday customs and the idealistic strictures of religious authorities, that in late
Anglo-Saxon society there was considerable recourse to superstitious, occasionally outright
pagan, and sometimes outright malevolent practices 1 2. Lacn., BLch, LchBk3 and the
"'For discussion s of the place of Angl o-Saxon remedi al superstiti ous practi ces within a Christian society see Jolly
[1 9 85] , [1989 ] , and [1 99 3] . Jolly [19 85 ] argues on the bas is of th e frequent use of Christ ian prayers, psalms, masses etc
in th e OE medica l te xts th at the Anglo-Saxon remedial ch arms were fully integrated into the Christian world view of the
time. That the cha rms which the makers/rnmpilers of these books recorded were a cceptable to them is obvious, but I
wou l d qu estion whether many of Lacn.'s galdra woul d have seemed inn ocuous to rel igious authorities like Et&ic and
Wulfstan - as I have sa i d th e Ni ne Herbs Charm, the metrical charm Wid farsnce, and the corrupt Irish incantations
(n one of which is mentioned in Jol l}'s arti cle) very proba bly wou l d not.
Joll y appears to half-reco p ise the diffi culty of recon ciling some galdra to Elfri c: sh e seeks to exempt them from
castigati on by observin g that [1 98 5 : 2 86 1 ",Elfric in h is h omil ies is oondemnin gga/dra with pagan, ma gic conn otations:
the context of wh ich is always a discussion of witches, en chanters, sorceress" . But we do not know that at least some of
th e extant OE medical galdra - particul arly those just menti on ed - were n ot once part of that s ph ere, that klfric would
not ha ve consi dered them as su ch, and we cannot assume that h e w ould have accepted a Christian or even a priestly
pra ctitioner of su ch .
In trying to demonstrate th e "common attitude" towards charms, wh ich di d not "forbid a ll galdor except prayer
itse lf', Jo lly [ 1 9 85 : 2 85-6 ] al so mis interprets a ruling in the Penite n tial ofEgbe rt that "h is not allowed for any Christian
to observe empty di vination, as h eathen s do .... nor gather h erbs with any charms [sic, properly sg. "incantation"], except
with the Pater Noster and with the Creed, or with some prayer which perta ins to God ". For Jolly this "rule reflects the
tendency to Christianize charms through the use of Christi an prayers, evi dent in th e ch arms themsel ves". However, mid
nanum galdre, baton mid surely means that th e recitation of galdra is to be entirely replaced by th at of Christi an
prayers, and not that e^osting gaJdra may simply be modified or exten ded with the additi on of Christian prayers (though
that is a process wh ich may well be evidenced in some OE charms - e. g. the Nine Herbs Charm ).
" his int eresting to n ote that an overtly Christian herbal remedy in BLch (2 94/23 -296 5), which claims to be able to
protect the user aga in st all i ll s for a year, w oul d presumab ly n ot have been approved of by tElfric since - were it to work it woul d da y the user the spiritual healin g of physical disease sent by God:

God is se soda lace, Jae durh mrskce swingla his folces synrra gehcsld. Nis se woruld-kece xrslhreow, deah
de he pone gewundodan mid Barnette, odde mid ceorfsexe gelacnige. Se lace cyrfd odde beernd, and se
untruma hr}md, yeah-hxtirdere ne miltsad he Aw.r odres wanunges, fordan gifse lace geswicd his creP/Tes,
,bonne IosaB se jorvndoda. Swa ear God gelacnad his gecorenra gyltas mid misLcum brocum ; and /yeah
de hit hefrgtyme sy dcrm droxngendum, bea h-hxtadere wyle se gods Lace to ecere halde pine gelacnigan.
Witodlice se de vane brocunge for dlsum life ne drowod, he fcerd to drowunge. For agenum symnum bid se
mann geuntrumod..
[Homi ly on "'Me Pass ion of St. Barth o lomew th e Apostle" (ed. Thorpe [1843 , 1 846 : 4 72 ]) ]
" See furth er Meaney [1984b ] on "fE lfric and Ido l atry", an d Meaney [ 1970: 1 23], wh o remarks that th ere can be

146
miscellaneous charms bear direct testimony only to the benevolent remedial aspects of this
obscure world - malevolent practices when mentioned always being opposed - via their
passive absorption and possibly (at least in the case of the Nine Herbs Charm) actively
syncretic accommodation to a more pragmatically moderate Christian world view, a process
in which some priests took active part.

Who Composed and Used Lacnunza?

Lacn., like LchBk3, but in contrast to BLch which reveals in a Lat. colophon that it was
assembled (or merely written down?) (conscribere iussit) by a certain Cild (otherwise
unknown) for a certain Bald (also otherwise unknown)" and which provides us with the
names of two of the (presumably Anglo-Saxon) practitioners, Dun and Oxa, whose remedies
are incorporated in it", is an anonymous collection.
Athough, with the exception of LL. (and possibly of Entry CLXXXIM'S, authors cannot
be put to the collection, many of the remedies in Lacn. can be grouped according to whether
their wording suggests self-use by someone with some knowledge of herbs and medicinal
herbal preparations, or by application by a knowledgeable doctor to a dependent patient.
Three categories of remedies can be defined here:
i. Remedies for self-preparation and self-use (also self-recitation of charms/prayers):
Entries XIX, XXXVIII, (?)XLVII, LXXXV, C, CVI, CXIII, CXV, CXL.VI, CXLVII,
CXLIX, and CLXI-CLXIII.
ii. Remedies for preparation by the addressee for application by the same person to a
dependent patient (also recitation of charms/prayers to a patient): Entries III, XIII, XVI,
XVII, XXI, XXII, XXVI, XXVIII, XXIX, XXXIII, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXMC, XL,
XLIII-XLV, XLVIII, L, LI, LIII-LVIII, LX, LXI, LXQI, LXIV, LXVI, LXVII, LXIXX-L.XXIII,
"l ittle doubt that the practice of sorcery and magic was widespread all over England at the and of the tenth century ... We
can be reasonably certa in, however, that real heathenism was confined to Northumbria" . For recent doubts about the
typicality of fEl fri c's views on magic and superstition in late Angl o-Saxon England see Hollis & Wright [ 1 992 : 226-7] .
McNeil l [ 1933 : 46 5] remarks on the effect iveness of ecclesiastical strictures in early medieval pen itentials again st
"folk-pa gan ism" that, "in th e ma sses of th e popul ati on th e an cestral habits were not to be overcome. Folk-paganism was a
hydra which n o weapons of ecclesiasticism could slay".
"Bald habet hu n[c] G b ru m Old quern consenbere i ussr t (BLch 2 98 2 8).
"'lh eir rem edi es are not found among th e variant versi on s in Lacn .
"LL. is attri buted (in oth er MSS) to on e Lai dcenn (both a medieval and a modem sch olarly attribtition ^ and the Lat.
poem in Entry CLA"CUI I is attributed in an oth er M S to B ish op Sya grius of Autun (a medieval attribution ).

147

LXXVII , LXXVIII, LXXXIV, LX XXVI, XCI, Cl, CII, CIV, CVII-CX, CXII, CXVI-CXIX,
CM CXXII, CXXIV, CXXV, (?)CXXVI, CXLI-CXLIII, CXLV, CXLVIII, CLX,
(?)CLXIV, CLXVII-CLXIX, CLXXII-CLXXIV, CLXXVI, and CLXXVIII-CLXX X.
[Also preparation by the addressee for administration to an animal: Entries CXI,
C=I-CXXXVI , CLII, (? )CLIII, CLIV, CLV, CLXV, CLXVIII . ]
iii. Preparation by the addressee for application by his patient: only one unambiguous
instance - Entry LXXVI (the Nine Herbs Charm) (in part only) .
The remaining remedies in Lacn . appear from their wording not to be directed
specifically either at self-use or at application/prescription to others, though it is always
possible that they have been extracted from a medical work once clearly designed for one or
other such purpose : e. g. Entries I, II, IV, XXXIV, and CLXXM . 1 6
A few other points can be gleaned from internal evidence, so that together it can be
deduced that whoever (he/she"/they) used certain remedies was probably:
i . Wealthy " ', and had access to some exotic (and therefore probably rare and expensive)
drugs, not to mention access to and knowledge of a wide variety of other plants and
substances. Especially noteworthy is Entry CXXXM which stipulates that the luxury
ecclesiastical cloth godeweb must be burnt around livestock to exorcise them before donating
money to the Church; also note Entries XMX XXY,, and XXXVIII which require zedoary
and gallengar, these and other remedies also need ginger, pepper and myrrh.

" h is interesting to n ote that in Entry LXXV, after th e h eading Gif se we weorde on mannes setle geseten, the
subsequent vmswdims assume - unl ess there is a scribal error - that the addressee is th e sufferer (lege to Siam setle swa
du [emen d he? ] hatost forberan mage^ and n ot, as might be effected (and as is the case with Entries LA'IX, IJK{kTV,
C H, CIV, CXI I , C,t7.VIII, and CLXX VI) th e pati ent to be treated by th e addressee-, that du may stand is suggested by
icy . pyge and pron. Pe in Entry C\TII - To monnes stamne:... Pjge m id dy dreence; do swa neogan morgnas, ma [gyfl
lie pea rf sy. In Entry CI.h'}C a drink is to be prepared and given 1o a patient (1 . 99 1 syle dnncan on nihfiyhstig^ but the
w ords 1 . 979 rry^ttn donne Pe pearfsy and U . 99 1 -2 nytia jays drernces Ponne Pe Pearfsy also occur, perhaps they refer to
the times wh en a dolor wishes to prescribe the drink to his patient, rather than for his own personal use; the same
explanation may or ma y n ot appl y to nytta by jwnne de dead sy in Entry XMII, and to do swa oft swa Pe Pearf sie in
Entry C .
"'Ihe only named An glo-Saxon practiti on ers we know of are male - but even these are very few. Desp ite the lade of
eviden ce, it is n ot, I think, to be doubted that many women in An glo-Saxon En gl and - as in oth er societies and a ges would ha ve had some knowl edge of herbal medicine using native plants. Wh ether they were involved in th e production
and/or prescriptive use of Angl o-Sa xon medical MSS is less certain, but seems likely - see H ollis & Wright [ 1 992 : 2 361
and [ 1 99 4 : 147] . For a cata logue of medieval En gl ish medical practiti oners see Talbot & Hammond [ 1965 ] , but although
this book claims to in clude (p. v) "an y and al l practition ers" known from An glo-Saxon England, I can find no reference to
th ose mentioned in BLch, namely Bald (( 2 9 8 28 ) Bald habet hu n[c] librum Cild qu ern conscri bere iussit^ Dun
(( 2 9 2 16 ) IcECedom Dun rah tel and Oxa (( 12 0 1) Oxa 1cPrdebisne kecedom ).
"Cf. Page [ 1970: 41 ] on th e golden and a gate amuletic Anglo-Saxon rin gs inscribed with runic charms mentioned in
th e C omm entary to Lacn. Entry XXV: "Th e rings date from th e ninth century and, being of gol d, belonged to people of
so m e wealth . H ow ever stron gly the church inve i gh ed aga inst su ch th ings, people ofguaGry continued to u se them " (my
ita lics).

148

ii . Christian , but probably not a model of orthodox piety: note e. g . that the practitioner of
certain remedies must:
a) have access to a paten outside a church, the knowledge to be able to recognise
various Biblical verses from their opening words, and have permission to write them
on the paten (Entry XXQX) .
b) be able to recognise and recite various other common Lat. prayers, blessings and
psalms .
iii . Literate in OE and (to some degree) in Lat . The bad Lat . in exorcisms and bles sings,
which are to be recited by a priest, in Entry LXIII, is according to one scholar (see
Commentary) , characteristic of priests' manuals of the period
iv. Concerned with the care of others, including women (Entries CXLIII, CLX) QII)
and their difficulties with childbirth .
v. Concerned with the welfare of livestock (cattle , sheep, pigs, horses).
It is legitimate to speculate in view of these observations that - as is apparently the case
with the OE metrical charm For Unfruitful Land (ASPR vol. 6, no. 1) (see Niles [1980:
49-50]) - Lacn. might be intended for the use of a wealthy tenth- or eleventh-century secular
(potentially even royal'

lord or of his physician. Such a person may well have i) been

literate (in OE if not in Lat.), u) been concerned for the welfare of large numbers of people
and livestock, iii) had the wealth to purchase exotic imported drugs, iv) as patron of one or
more parish churches had access to and power over at least one priest and one church, v) had
access to both popular and learned traditions of charms and superstitious practices, and, not
being under the close supervision of a religious superior, had the opportunity to use and
prescribe some possibly unsanctioned material.

Unfortunately however, since Lacn. gives every indication of being a haphazard

collection of miscellaneous remedies rather than a single unified medical text, it is dangerous
" C e rtain remedies in BLch (2 90 18 -2 0) were apparently sent from El ias, patriarch of Jerusalem (c. 879-907), to
King Alfred the Great (see full discussi on of th ese remedies by Hean ey [1 978 ] ; see a lso Keynes & Lapidge [1 983 : 2 70
n . 22 0 1 ). Hean ey [1975] suggests that BLch mi & be a private effort by one of Alfi-ed's court physicians; Hean ey [19 7 8 :
67] al so remarks that " it seems qu ite possibl e th at on e of th ese [i.e. Alfred's ] physician s should have been encouraged to
oonV ile a medical handbook in En glish to supplement th e books of law, geography, history an d th eology which were
being produ ced at th at time". Th ere is an account of Alfred's illnesses - and of h is physicians' inabil ity to cure h im ! - in
Asser'sLife ofKi ng Alfred (trans. Keynes & Lapidge [1 983 : esp. 8 8-9 0, an d see 2 55 a 143] ). It is interestin g to note that
a version of a Lat. ch arm found in both Lacn. (Entry LXIV 11 . 2 99-314) and BLch, anoth er test of LL., and an other Irish
Lat. di arm, are also found in th e Book ofNunnam inster, a MS wh ich is thought to have belon ged to Alfted's queen,
Ealhsw ith (see Kcr no. 23 7).

149

to use these observations together to form a composite picture of a possible Anglo-Saxon

compiler or owner of Lacn. The only specific clues as to the more precise status of the
practitioner in some remedies in Lacn. refer to whether he was a priest and to whether he
was concerned with wounds, theory, and surgery. In two remedies (1. 258 gehalg[ieJ by
syddan mcessepreost, 11. 708-9 gesinge mcessepreostXil mcessan ofer) the practitioner has to
send for a priest, presumably indicating that he himself is not one. But in another remedy the
imp. sing oferfeower mcessan (1. 817) seems to indicate that it was to be used by a priest. It
appears that both educated (probably wealthy) lay people and priests were involved in the
production and use of some of the remedies in Lacn20. It is perhaps not surprising that a
collection put together in so apparently haphazard a way as Lacn. should include remedies
from different sources apparently addressing different groups of people. Finally, it is
apparent from the absence of any remedies for flesh wounds, and from the absence of much
medical theory or ambitious surgical procedure, that Lacn. is neither for the use of a doctor
engaged in the treatment of people wounded in war, nor would it serve a theoretically or
surgically inclined physician.

On the role of the clergy in the development and use of remedies and their associate d ritual in late Anglo-Saxon
England see Jolly [1983: 290-I1 and [1989: 174-6].

For discussions of the Anglo-Saxon healer, both lay and clerical, see Rub in [ 1974: chap. iv], [1989], and
Chidcering [197 1 : 91-2 1.

151

Entry

L (+ Wu)

ASPR

GS

[1974]

(voL 6)
XIX
XX

XXI

-------

------- ------- XIX

-----

-------

------- ------- XX

-----

--XXI
------------

XXII

------- 65

XXIII

Stuart

XXII

XVII

------- ------- ------- XXIII

------

=V

-------

------- ------- XmV

-----

XXV

A17

------- 70

XXV

-73

XXVI

XII

XXVI

10

10

------- ------- ------- XXVII

XXVII
7{XVIII

AS

-XXVffl

XJdX
XXX

------

XXIX
12

12

-XXX

XXXI

7XXI
13

xxx

XXXII

13

-------

------- ------- XXXTI

X?IXIII

-)QOCII

----------

XXXIV

-------

--- ---- ------- XXXIII

-----

xxXV

-------

------- ------- XXXIV

------

XXXVI

-------

-------

------- XXXV

------

-------

-------

------- XXXVI

------

XXXVII

15

15

XXXVIiI

16

16

X3QQX

17

17

XL

18

18

-XXXVII
-----X3cm

------

1 52

Entry

L (+ Wu)

ASPR

GS

(vol. 6)

[1974]
------- XI.,

XLI

-------

-------

XI..II

-------

------- ------- XLI

XI.,III

18+19

18+19

20

------ ------- XL,V

XI.,VI

21

------ ------- XLVI

XLVII

22

------ ------- XLVII

XLVIII

23'

-----

xi,ix

------

------- XLVIII
------ XLIX

----- ------- L
4

24

LII

LIV

------

------ ------- XI..IV

XI., V

III

------

-XLII+XLIII
------ ------- XI.II+XI,III

XI.,IV

LI

Stuart

25

5 + 26

25+26

LV

------

-------

------- ------- LI

-----

-------

------- ------- LII

------

-------

------- ------- LIII

-----

-LW

26

LV

- ----

LVI

-------

------- ------- LVI

------

LVII

-------

------- ------- LVII

-----

LVIII

-------

------- ------- LVIII

------

LVIX
LX

27

27

-------

------- ------- LIX

-----

28

-------

------- ------- LX

------

LXI

-------

------

LXII

-------

-------

------- LXI
------- LXII

- ----

------

153

Entry

L(+ Wu)

ASPR

GS

[1974]

(vol. 6)
LXIII

LXIII-

--19
- 19

29-32

Stuart

LXV

LXIV

33-34

m.

19+31

LXVI
LXVII

LXV

see vo1 . I
p.

See

- ------- LXVIII

pp.

lxvi- 175-239

tv)
LXIX

LXVI

35

LXVII

36

- ------- LXX

LXVIII

37

-------

------- ------- LXXI

-----

LJdXX

38

38

-------

------- ------- LXXII

------

LXX

39

LXmH
- ----- -LXXffl

40

----- LXXIV

L=

------

L=I

41

----- LXXV

LXMII

42

----- LXXVI

LXXIV

43

-------

------- ------- LXXVII

-----

LXXV

44

-------

------- ------- LXXVIII

------

LXXVI

5+46

46 ; Wii 4

B4

LXXIX-

------

LXXXdI

LXXVII

47

-LXXXIII

LXXVIII

48

LXXXI V

LXJDC

49

LX3CX

50

------

-LXXXV
LXXXVI

-- ----

154

Entry

L (+ Wu)

ASPR

GS

(voL 6)
LXXXI[a+b] 1

51

E6

Stuart
[1974]

- - - - - - - 44

LXXXVII+ xxVIH
LXXXVIII

LXXXII

52

52

L=II

53

53

XC

VIII

L=V

54

XCI

-----

LXXXV

55

55

--- ----

-------

LX3IXVI

56

Wu 6

A2

LXXXVII 5 6+57

55+57

-------

------- ------- XCN

LXJflMII

57

------- -------

-LXXXIX

------ XCII
7

53

XCIII

XCV

-----IV
----------

L)CK)CE{

-------

XC

------- ------- ------- XCVII

-----

XCI

-------

------- ------- XCVIII

------

XCII

-------

------- ------- XCIX

-----

XCIII

-------

------- ------- C

------

-------

------- -------

CI

-----

-------

------- -------

CII

------

XC1V
XCV
XCVI

58

------- ------- XCVI

------

------

--Cifi

XCVII

CN

XCVII I

CV

XCIX
C

CVII

-----

CI

-- ----- ------- -------

CVIII

------

CII

-------

CIX

-----

------- -------

155

Entry

L (+WG)

ASPR

GS

Stuart
[1974]

(vol. 6)
CIII

------- ------- ------- CX

-----

CIV

------- ------- ------- CXI+CXII

------

CV

------- -------

CVI

-------

CVII

------- ------- -------

Mil

-------

------

CIX

-------

------ ------- CXVI

CX

-------

-------

112

------

------- -------

113

------

CXIV

------- CXV

------- -------

CXVII

- --

---

----------------

------ ------- CXVIII

CXI

60

-------

CXII

61

-------

------- ------- CXIX

-----

CXIII

62

-------

------- ------- CXX

------

CXIV

63

-------

------- ------- Cym

----

CXV

64

CXVI
CXVII

-CXXII

65

CXXIII

-----

-CXXIV

------

CXVIII

-----

CXXVI

------

CXIX

67

-------

CXX

68

----- CXXVII
-CXXVII

CX7U

-------

CXXV
-------

69

----- CXXVIII
----- CXXIX

CXXII

70

CXXIII

71

CXXIV

72

CXXm

--- ---

156

Entry

L (+ Wu)

ASPR

GS

Stuart

(voL 6)
CXXV

73

CXXVI

74

CXXVIIa+b

5(=a)

+ Wii 2

[1974]

--cxxxii
CX=II
Al

CXXXIV(=a)

XXH
I

cxxxv

76(=b)
(=b)
CXXVIII

77

-CXXXVI

CXXIX

C730VII

CXxx
CXXXI

-------

------

------ CXX{VIII

-CXXXIX

C3CK7QI
CXX3QII

CXL
9

79

-------

------- 23

---------------

-----------

CXLI
CXLII

CXMQV

80

CX3{JCV

81

C7CXXVI

82

C30XXVII

83

A6

CX7IXVIII 4

84

-------

CX)OQX

--cxm
-----CXLV
-74

CXL,VI

------- CXLVII

-------

------- ------- CXLVIII

XV
-----------

CXL,

85

-------

------- -------

CXLIX

------

CXLI

86

-------

------- -------

CL

------

CXL.II

87

-------

------- ------- CLI

CXLIII

88

CXLN

89

------

-CLII
CLIII

VI

157

Entry

L (+ WG)

ASPR

GS

(vol. 6)

[1974]

CXLV

-------

CXI, VI

------- ------- -------

CXI.,VII

90

Stuart

------ -------

CLN

------

CLV

------

------ CLVI
-CLVI

CXI.VIII

- -------

CLVII

CXLIX

Wu S A

CL

92

- A3

CLIX

CLI

93

- -------

CLX

CLII

94

- 46

CLXI

CLIII

95

A9

------- 3

CLXII

------

CLIV

96

A7

- - - - - - - 75

CLXIII

XXI

CLV

97

-------

------- 47

CLXIV

CLVI

98

------- ------- 63

CLXIV

14

CLVIII

XXXVH

------

(and see p.
1881 . 15)
CLVII

CLVIII

100

100

51

CLXVI

CLIX

101

101

-------

CLXVII

CLX

102

102

35

CLXVIII

CLXI

103

Wii 7

10

CLXIX

99

-(42)
42)

CLXII
CLXIII

104

CLXIV

105+106

105 + 106

83

CLXV
Lv-

II

CLXX

II

CL=

V,

CLXXII

XIV

CLXXIEII

158
Entry

L (+ Wu)

ASPR

GS

(vol. 6)

Stuart
[197]

CLXV

106

106

B6

CLXVI

107

107

-------

CLXVII

108

108

CLXVIII

109

109

67

CLXXVI

XX

CLXIX

110

110

CLXXVII

------

CLXX

111

111

------

CLXXVIII

------

- - - - - - - 84

------ ------- CLXXIV

-------

CL]C)QI
112

112

CL=V

113

1 13

-------- ------- CLXXX

114

CLXXVII
CLXXVIII115
CLX7(IX

115

---------------

CI..XXV
114

------

------

------- ------- ------- CL)=

CL7tXIII

XIX

------ CLXXV
-CLXXV

CLXXI

CI.XXVI

CLXXIII

CLXXXII

- -----

E13

------- 21

CL7CCM

------

-------

------- ------- CL,V

-----

------- ------- -------

CLXXXV

------

-CLXXXVI

------

CLXXXVII

CLXXX

-----

116

------- -------

------ CLXXXXVIII

------

CLXMUI 117+118

117+118

------- ------- ------- CLXXXIX

------

CLXXXIII118

119

------- ------- A7

CXC

------

CLXXXIV

120

------- ------- A12

CXCI

------

CLX3QCV

121

-A13

CXCII

------

CLXXXVI

122

A14

CXCIII

------

CL)CX 7U

116

159

Entry

L (+ Wu)

ASPR

GS

(vol. 6)
CL=VII

123

CLXXXVIII -------

Stuart
[1974]

-------

------- A15

CXCN

-----

-------

------- -------

See p. 20

-----

n.
CLXX3QX -------

-------

------- ------

------

CXC

------

-------

------- -------

------

CXCI

-------

-------

------- -------

------

Fa tables cross-referauing G to S, and S W G see Magoon [1953: 206-71; for tables cross-referencing GS to S,
and S to GS see Magoon [1954: 566-7] .

160

TABLE OF ENTRY HEADINGS

Unlike OEHerb, BLch and LchBk3, Lacn. has no guide to the contents in the MS. The
following listing may serve as an at-a-glance guide to the collection's contents and order.

ENTRY

HEADING / FIRST

TRANSLATION

NUMBER
WORDS
I

Wr t[h] h eafodwrcece

For h eadach e

II

Wid heafoduTeece

For headache

I II

Wid heafodwtierce

For h eadach e

IV

To h eafodsealfe 7 to eh sealje For a head-sal ve and for an eyesa lve

Eah sea lf

An eye-sa lve

VI

Eahsealf

An eye-salve

VII

Gifeagan forsetene b end

If the eyes are stopped up

V III

P i(sJ is sea seleste eahsea lf

This is the best eye-salve

IX

Gifpoc sy on eagan

If there is a sty in an eye

`C

Pis i s sea cedeleste eahsea lf

This is th e n ob l est eye-sa lve

l^

Wrd hwostan

For c ough

\'II

ii'id eagena dymnesse

For dimn ess of the eyes

VIII

Grfeagan p an

If the eyes water

.lZV

Se man se de bap on heals- The person who has erysipelas of

om an...

the n eclc_..

XV

his i s seo grene sealf

This is th e gear salve

X VI

Mid adle

For (?-)disease

X\711

RIO h ec#bdece

For hea da ch e

' VII

"

'Y

Sealf wrd fleoge ndum attre 7 A salve for flying poi son and sudden
fcarspryngum

eruptions

Wid pone bledendefic

For th e bleedin g ha emorrh oid

Oleo roseo sic fads

For rose oil do thus

16 1

ENTRY

HEADI N G I FIRST

N U MB E R

WORD S

XXI

TRAN SLATION

Cardr acu s hafte seo adl de The illness in whi ch one sweats
man swide s wce ted

greatly is called "Cardiacus"

NM I

Sing dis wid todece

Sing this for toothach e

XJQII

Wa d don e dropan

For the drops

XXI V

Wad geswell

For a swel ling

XXV

Si ng dis gebed on do 6lacan S in g th is prayer on the bla ck bla in s

b legene

XXVI

Wid don Jae m on odds nyten In the event that man or beast drinks
a wyrm

wyrm gednnce
?{VII

Pi s yke galdor mag m on This same in cantation can be sung

singan wad smeogan wyrme

`{XVIII

Wi d

dos

de

mon

actor In the event that a person drinks

poi son

gednnce
\'\'Lx

for a pen etrating wyrm

As is se ha lga dra nc wad This is the h oly drink for fever and
celfside ne

wad

eallum all the temptations of the the Devil

feondes costungum

\'\?C

To wensealfe

For a wen-sal ve

To godre banseafe Pe mcEg For a good bone-sal ve which is good

wa d heafodece 7 wa d ealra for headache and for infirmity of all
lyma ryddernysse

the limbs

G^fpoc sy on eagan

If th ere is a stye in an eye

\XYIII

Nam clatan m oron

Take root of date

\7{.OV

Pas xyrte sculon to lungen- Th ese plants shall serve for a long

'YII

sealfe

salve

._'\7{V

lipid heafodece

For h ea dach e

x1xVI

Wid hreofum lice

For scabby body

Wad cneouwrce

For kn ee-pain

\'^1'VIII

To eahsealfe

For an eye-sal ve

\-C<iX

WO utsihte

For diarrh oea

YI.

Eft wid bo[nJ

Again for that

1 62

ENTRY

HEADING / FIRST

NUMBER

WORDS

TRANSLATION

XLI

Wyll wid don

Boil for that

XLII

Sccef efic wrd Pon[e] bol in Shave ivy near the trunk into milk
meotc

XLIII

Wyrc utyrnendre drcenc

Make a purgative drink

XI,IV

Offer utyrnynde dreenc

A second purgative drink

XLV

hndde utyrnende dre8nc

A third purgative drink

XLVI

Wyrc spiwdreEnc

Make a drink to induce vomiting

XLVII

Wyrc oderne...

Make a second

?C1,VIII

Spiwdresnc

A drink to induce vomiting

?d.IX

Wyrc

sealje

xvd

heafod- Make a salve for headache, and for

wYerce, 7 wid Ldxuerce, 7 xnd joint-pain, and for eyepain, and for
eahwyrce,

7 wrd wenne,

7 a wen, and for 6eor

wrd deore

Wid srdxwrce

For pain in the side

LI

Wyrc bnw xnd lungenadle

Make a thick soup for lung-disease

LII

Wjrc oderne

Make a second

LIII

Wyrc pnddan bnw

Make a third thick soup

LIV

Feorda bnw

A fourth thick soup

LV

Dranc wid lungenadle

A drink for lung-disease

LVI

Genim betas

Take beet

LVII

Eft drunc

Again a drink

LVIII

Genrm jeldmoran

Take feldmore

LLX

Eft wrd bon

Again for that

LJ{

Wyrc bnw

Make a thick souk

I.M

Bnw

Athidc soup

LXII

SlapdrYenc

A drink to induce sleep

LUII

To haligre sealfe

For a holy salve

LTV

& circumibat Ihesus totam And Jesus went about all Galilee...
Galileam...

163

ENTRY

HEADING / FIRST

N U MB E R

WORDS

LXV

Suffragare trinitas unitas...

TRANS LATION

Help (me), 0 Trinity, 0 Unity...:

'IheLonca ofLaidcenn

LXVI

Wid faerlrcre adle

For sudden sickness

LXVI I

Wid la n denwyrce

For loin -pain

LXVIII

Wi d peore

For peor

ILXIX

Gifdeor sy in men

If a person has Peor

LXX

Drcenc w1d deore

A drink for deor

Wyrc deordrnc godne

Make a good drink for deo r

Wi d fieore 7 wr d sceo tendum For/ieor and for a pain-causing wen

L}CXII

wenne

Gif deor .ry gewunad in anre If deor is establish ed in on e place

LXXI II

stowwe
LJ XI V

Wid deore

For deor

L^{V

Gifse u i c weorde on mannes

If the haemorrhoid is situated on a

Belle geseten

person 's rump

C.?XVI

Gemyne du, Mucgwyrt, hxre t Remember,

Pit am eldodesl...

Mugwort, what you

declared...
'llie so-called Nine Herbs Charm

Gijse wynn se ny bergewend If the "worm" is turned downward s

I.JV-XVII

odd[e] se bledendafic

or the bl eeding ha emorrhoid

IJK
-K'VIII

EJt wid Pon ylcan

Again for the same

L.X.l'A

Gif for odds cn eow odds If foot or knee or shins swell

scancan swellan

Lam{

Mid miccGim U ce 7 bnngc- Let a salve be made for swoll en

adle wyrce sealfe

LX7X-KI a

body and (?)ch est-disease

Writ drs ondlang da earmas Write this along the arms for fever
wip dweorh

Writ

is ondlang da earmas W rite this along the aims for fever

wid dweorie

1 64
ENT RY

HEAD I NG / FIRST

NUMBE R

WORDS

LX}OCII

Wid

wennas

T RANSLATION

mannes For wens at a person's heart

at

heortan
LJ=lII

Pis gebed man steal singan This prayer must be sung on the
on da blacan

blegene IX black boils nine times

sedum

L}CA'3UV

Gif men

eglad

Mace If the black boil afflicts a person

sea

blegen

LXXXV

Gifpin heorte ace

If your heart hurts

LX}O{VI

Wrd dweorh

For fever

L}0{XVII

Her syndon IcECedomas wfd Here are twenty-eight remedies for

celces cynnes omum

7 on- erysipelas and attacks of disease and

feallum [71 bancobum eaha severe-illnesses of every kind

7 hvenhge
Grenes

merces

cnucude

mid

leaf
ages

ge- Green leaves of wild celery pounded

jet with the white of an egg,..

hwite..

L\'\'KVIIl

iVid omum 7 blegnum

For erysipelas and boils

L200l'DC

Wid omum 7 ablegnedum

For erysipelas and inflamed sores

\C

Eft

Again

XCI

Eft wid omens geberste

Again for eruption of erysipelas

XCII

Eft

Again

YCIII

Eft

Again

XCIV

Eft xad Po[n] ylcan

Again for the same

XCV

Eft

Again

XCVI

Eft

Again

.l'CVII

Eft

Again

XCVIII

[Vid bvn ylcan

For the same

YCLY

EJt

Again

TVid hwostan 7 neorunyse

For cough and constriction

Cl

IV,() morgenwlcshinga

For morning-nausea

1 65

ENTRY

HEADING /FIRST

NUMBER

WORDS

CII

Wid Pon die mon blode wealle In the

event

of blood

welling

through a person's mouth

Purh his mud

CIII

TRANSLATION

Wid celces monnes tydernesse For every person's internal infirmity

rnnewenrde

CIV

Gif man sceorpe on Pone If a person scratches at his belly

innad

CV

Wid eagena Ceara

For tearfulness of the eyes

CVI

Wid Baron cafiele dreanc

A noble drink for the ears

C V11

Wid lungeadle 7 6reoshvrcece For lung disease and chest pain

CVIII

Wid healsomena

For erysipelas ofthe neck

CIX

Wid landenece

For pain in the loins

CX

Wid utsihte

For diarrhoea

CXI

Gif hors sy gescoten, odde If a horse or another animal is "shot"

offer neat

Cl'II

Gif

men

gewunod

synd
on

xrznnas If wens are established on the

heafod forehead or on the eyes

Pat

foran odde on da eagan

Cl3II

To monnes stamne

For a person's voice

CkTV

Wid angcbreoste

For tightness of the chest

CXV

{f'id done swiman

For dizziness

C.l"VI

K'yrc godne drenc xad sidece Make a good drink for pain in the
side

C.l'VII

Wid don ylcan

For the same

C\'VIII

Eft wrd srdece

Again for pain in the side

CAZ\

Wid fotadle

For foot disease

CXX

I{^id dare
fotadle,

miclan

jxere

siendan For the great oozing foot sickness,

de

]caceas which doctors call podagra

hated podagre

Ct'YI

ii'yrc dreenc x7fi fio[nJ ylcan

Make a drink for the same

CKKII

Mid giccendre wombe

For itching belly

166

ENT RY

READING/ F IRST

NUMBE R

WORDS

T RANSLATION

CXXIII

Wyrc sealfe wid lusum

CX}QV

Wyrc godne dreenc wid lusum Make a good drink for lice

CXXV

Wid innodes hefignesse

For affliction ofthe innards

CXXVI

Wid fleogendan attre

For flying poison

CXXvII a

Wtd fcerstice

For slabbing pain

Make a salve for lice

Hlude xuran hy, la hlude, da They were loud, lo loud, when they
by ojer pone h1cEw ndan...

rode over the barrow...

CXXVIII

Wid lusan, seal]

For lice, a salve

CXXIX

Nim eac meldon da wyrt

Take also the plant orache

CXxC

Nam eac wermod 7 mare- Take also wormwood and white

flan...

horehound

CIN)OU

Nim eac cylendran x7d don

Take also coriander for that

C?X7M

Gtfhr}dera steorfan

If cattle are dying

CXXXIII

95,P lungenadle hnderum

For lung sidmess in cattle

CXXXIV

Gifsceap sy abrocen

If a sheep is incapacitated

CXXXV

Wid

poccum

sceapa For pustules and cheeps' scabbiness

hreoJlart

Cl'\'YVI

WO sw+na fc$rsteorfan

For sudden death ofpigs

CA^'VII

Wrdpeojentum

For thefts

Cl'17{VIII

Wid hondxyrmmum

For scabies (lit "hand-worms").

C.-OL-aX

Eft

Again

ClZ

Gifnagl ofhonda weorde

If a nail has come offthe hand

C\T.I

Wid hK+ostan

For cough

C\L1I

lipid magan wyrce 7 gif he For pain of the stomach and if his
bid tob[axwn se innod

CA7.,III

Wif don

de

belly is distended

wif fcarunga In the event that a woman suddenly

adumbige

goes dumb

CX11V

Wid peor

For peor

CYLV

Eft offer

Again another

167

ENTRY

HEADING / FIRST

N U MB E R

WORD S

CXLVI

TRANSLATION

Gif Pit wille wyrcean godne If you wan t to make a goo d drink
dreenc wid celc inyfel, sy hit for every interna l affli ction, be it in
on h eajde, sy jxer hit sy...

the h ead, or wh ereever it may be...

CXLVII

Wi d m etecweorran

For indi gesti on

CXLVIII

Wid

Pot

man

mcege In th e event that a person cann ot

ne

s l eep

slapan

CXLIX

bonne fie m an c8rest secge As soon as someone tells you that

jxEt Pfn ceap sy losod...

your cattle are lost...

CL

Contra ocu lorum dolorum

For pain of the eyes

CLI

Domum

quaeso, I ask you, 0 Lord, mildly to alter

foam

Do mi ne, clem enter ingredere your house...

CLII

Gifhors bi d gewrr8ht

If a horse is sprained

CLIII

Wid cyrnel

For gl andu lar swelling

CLIV

Pis mcag h orse wrd Pon Pe This is good for a horse in the event
hi m bid corn on Pa jet

that th ere is a corn on its feet

CLV

Gifhors bid gesceoten

If a horse is "shot"

CLVI

Gifwrfne merge beam beran If a woman cannot bear a child

CLVII

A [d]

ancculorum

constanhum

dolorum For constant, wicked pain of the

malignantium , joints, a remedy

. VIII

Contra dolorum dentium

For pain oftheteeth

LY

Deus, qui duish, "Uenite ad God, who said, "Come to me all

me omnes qut laboratis... "

those who labour... "

Mid utsthte

For diarrhoea

?CI

Se xafman se hire cold afedan The woman who cannot nurture her
ne mceg

\'II

Se wifimon se hire beam The woman who cannot nurture her

afedan ne image

\1II

child

child

Se man se [n]e image beam The woman who cannot feed (her)
afedan

child

168

ENT RY

HEAD I NG/FIRST

NUMBE R

WORDS

TRANSLATION

CLXIV

Ecce dolgula medit dudum...

Ecce dolgula medic dudum...

CLXV

'Arcus sup[eJr assedrt...

"A bow has sat above...

CLXVI

Wyrc lungensealje

Make a salve for the lungs

CLXVII

Wid gedrif

For fever

CL,XVIII

Wrd horsoman 7 manner

For (?)erysipelas ofhorse and man

CLXIX

Wid oman

For erysipelas

CLXX

Arestolobius wces haters an 'There was a king called Arestolobius

cing

CLXXI

Gif man style mugcxyrt to If one has to have mugwort for a

lcacedome habban...

remedy...

CLXYII

Pis deah xvd fotece

This is good for foot-pain

CLXJJ{III

Wid hwosmn: hu he missen- For cough: how it comes upon one

lice on man becymd 7 hu his in diverse ways and how one must
man hhan steal

treat it

C=V

Wrd hwnstan eft

For cough again

CLJU'YV

Eft

Again

CLYXVI

Gif

eghan mcsn at If ways afflict a person at the heart

Pare heortan
CLYXVII

Mid heorhvrarce

For heart-pain

CLXXVIII

{fid heortece

For heart-pain

CLXXIX

Wid heortece eft

For heart-pain again

CLIO'Y

Eft

Again

CLX\'l'I

iNd breostnjrwette

For tightness of the dies[

CLXl'XII

Pry dagas syndon on geare There are three days in the year
Pe we Egipaaci hatad...

which

we

Epvptian] ...

call

"EggAiaci"

[i.e.

169
ENTRY

HEADING / FIRST

NUMBER

WORDS

CL}O{}ClII

TRANSLATION

In nomtne Pains & Filii & In the name of the Father and of the
Spiritus Sancti . Amen.

Son and ofthe Holy Spirit. Amen.

N. In adjufonum sit salvator.

Name . May the Saviour be his/her

N.

help . Name .

Deo celr regi regum...

To the God of heaven, the king of

kings ...

CLXXXIV

Benedicho he[rb]arvm

A Blessing of plants

CLX}0{V

ALa

Another

CLX}O{VI

Benedicdo vngventvm

A Blessing of ointments

CI.?)0{VII

Alia

An other

CL){YXVIII [Fragmentary te xt]

CLA'J=

[Fragmentary text]

CXC

Medicina ad cancrum

Remedy for a cancer

CXCI

A osfreint en teste

If a bone is shattered in the head

170

EDITORIAL PROCEDURE

Punctuation, capitalization, word-division, paragraphing and spacing are editorial.

There are two exceptions to this: i. words which are capitalized in MS are reproduced as such
in the edited text (thus e.g. 1. 1 WIT[H] HEAFODWRECE); ii. certain passages of obscure or
disputed meaning, which by the eleventh century may well have degenerated into
semantically redundant sound-strings used simply for incantatory effect, are presented in MS
word division and punctuation (thus U. 76, 86-8, 94-5, 255-6, 821-2, 884-5, 920-4, 951-2,
964, and 1065-6). Note that quotation marks are only placed around passages of text where it
is quite clear that they are to be recited (rather than possibly written down and worn as an
amulet). Roman numeral entry numbers are supplied editorially within square brackets there is no numbering of entries in MS; in two instances (Entries LXXXJ and CXXVII),
where there is doubt about the degree of autonomy of certain passages, the subdivisions a and
b are used (see further Commentary thereto). With the exception of the Tironian sign 7 for
OE ond/and, of the ampersand, and of N for Lat. Women "name" (i.e. a cue for the name of
the sufferer or supplicant to be inserted), abbreviations are expanded within round brackets.
Note that the abbreviation xps (and inflected forms) is expanded as Cristus (and inflected
forms) rather than Christus; support for this may be found in 1. 665 Cristus (the only
unabbreviated instance of the word in Lacn.) and in a discussion of this issue by Chaplain
[19861. The abbreviation ihs is expanded as Ihesus. Emendations of whatever kind to MS
readings are marked by square brackets. The sign /indicates folio divisions in MS. Bold type
denotes red ink in MS. Vowel lengths are marked in passages of OE verse only (i.e. ll.
535-97, 650-8, 762-87, 852-4, 878 (conjecturally), 927-9, 931-3, 936, 940-1, and 946-8);
note that the root vowels in forms of actor and needdre are marked long (cf. Campbell 285
and n. 1; contrast the practice of Klaeber's Beowulf). Asterisks mark places where text has
been lost from the MS or is illegible. In 1. 252 spaced dots indicate a less certain loss of test.
The lines of text are numbered consecutively from start to finish in the left-hand margin;
note that the OE gloss to Entry LXV (LL.) is included in this count; smaller numerals

171
number lines of verse and these are referred to only in discussions of the metre of the OE
metrical charms in the Commentary.
With regard to emendation this edition is generally conservative, but it has very
occasionally seemed necessary to move small passages of text from their MS position (see 11.
696, 894 and 899), and I have permitted myself (following earlier precedent) the conjectural
addition of two half-lines of OE verse in ll. 590 and 780; OE forms are retained whenever
there seemed to be any possible justification for them, but where, mostly as a result of simple
scribal slips, the text is obviously corrupt, and where a solution readily suggests itself I have
emended. Lat. passages generally present more editorial difficulties; wherever a simple
scribal slip may account for the problem (e.g. omission of a sign of abbreviation) or when
sense is completely lost from the MS form but is easily rectified, I have emended; where the
corruption seems to result from genuine ignorance of Lat. I have emended only when the
intended word sense seems most likely to escape the reader (e.g. I leave 1. 268 rigo (for
*rogo), 1. 876 mor (for *mors) and 1. 895 lignauit (for *ligauit)); this might be thought a
somewhat arbitrary approach, but I hope by this to have struck a balance between the
demands of intelligibility and of fidelity to the text's linguistic characteristics. I have not
attempted to emend the particularly corrupt Lat. in 11. 285-7 (see Commentary for intelligible
versions of this text), nor words or passages in other languages (Irish, Greek, Hebrew and
Aramaic).

The Textual Apparatus at the bottom of each page records MS folio numbers, MS
readings which differ from the edited text (differences of word-division alone generally
excepted), scribal corrections (i.e. erasures, alterations, insertions, expunctions), accent signs,
unusual or otherwise noteworthy letter forms, decorated and coloured initials, annotations of
whatever date, and the differing readings and emendations of previous editors and
commentators (though I generally do not record differences to C's word division). MS
division of words over line-ends is noted only when there is some additional reason to record
the MS reading. For those surname references in the Apparatus without accompanying dates
consult the lists of previous editions in the Commentary to the entry concerned-, Stuart refers
to Stuart's thesis [1974].
VN4ti55 d1-t-4rJ2w63E 5T01i^> Sc.^BAC- cc^ee^cfon^s AP^o^ To 65- ,..^
114fAS -T-Ovsv- oF' T^ mA,N -^^

te invD

172

[LACNUNGA]
[II / WIT[H] HEAFODWRAECE : genim hamorwyrt 7 efenlastan ny8owearde; cnuca; lege
on clad; grid in wester; grid swibe pmt heo sy eall gele3red; pweah mid by lea8re paet
heafod gelome.

[H] Wi3 heafodwrxce : hindhxleba 7 grundeswylgean 7 faencyrsan 7 gi6rifan ; wyl in

[wae1tere; lit reocan in pa eagan pa hwile by hate synd, 7 ymb ba eagan grid mid dam
wyrtum swa hatu(m) .

[III] Wid heafodwwrce: betan wyrtnunan; cnuca mid hunige; awring; do pmt seaw on pmt
neb; gelicge upweard wig hatre / sunnan, 7 ahoh at heafod nyperweard o8bwt seo ex sy
gesoht ; habbe him ax on mu3e buteran o8de ele; asitte bonne uplang ; hnige bonne fora ;
10

late flowan of pin nebbe pa gilstre; do pmt gelome o83wt hyt cline sy.

[IV] To heafodsealfe 7 to ehsealfe : aluwan ; gegnid in eced; smyre pmt heafod mid 7 in pa
eagan do.

1] : fol. 130r begins.

1] WIT[H] HEAFODVVRECE : MS. WI THEAFO DW RACE in alternate red and black capitals; first wynn is
zoomorphic (serpentine) and five lines deep; UVIT[H]: MS.WIT; C. WITH; LGS. emend WID; thirteenth-century
annotation in outer margin (om. C. L^ ad dol(em) capitis.
1 ] hamonvyR : MS. -or- above line, no caret marl
1 ] efailastaa : MS. final -n alteredfrom a
3] sell : MS. on erasure.
41 Wib : MS. R'- is a plain red initial wynn.
4] biS. thirteenth-century annotation in outer margin, Cap(ut).
5] [ww]tere : hfS, wee were (scribal drttography at line-end).
7] Wia : N1S. W- is a plain red initial ulmn.

7] MS. thirteenth-century annotation in outer margin, Cap(ut).

7] seaw : so MS.C.GS.; L seam.
81 : fol. 130v begins.
81 ahoh : so MS.; GS. query emending to "jussive subjunctive aho".
11 j MS. note sign in outer margin (am. C.LGS.).
11] To : MS. T is a red capital.

1 73

[VI Eahsealf: win 7 piper; do in horn, 7 in pa eagan pon(ne) pu be restan wille .

[VI] Eahsealf: genim streawberian nypeweardan 7 pi- / por; do in cla3; behind; lege on
15

gesweted win; drype of an clabe aenne dropan in aegber eage.

[VU] Gif eagan forsetene beob: genim hraefnes geallan 7 hwitmxringc, wudulehtric 7
leaxes geallan; do tosomne; dryp on D(wt) eage purh linhaewenne cla3 7 gehwxde anodes

wows; bonne waca8 p(mt) eage.

[VIII] Pi[s] is seo celeste eahsealf. nim doran hunig 7 foxes smero 7 rahdeores mearh;
20

ma:ng tosomne .

[IX] Gif poc sy on eagan : nim maerc, sapan 7 hinde meolc ; maeng tosomne 7 swinge; lit
standan ob hit sy hluttor; nim pon(ne) p(mt) hluttre ; do on 8a eagan; mid Godes fultume he
steal aweg.

13] MS. flora sign in outer margin (om. C. L.GS .).

13] Eahsealf : MS. E- is a red capital.
131 pon(ne) : so MS.; GS . mispri nt abbreviation bonne.
14] Eah sea lf : MS . E- is a red capi tal in outer m argi n ; an oval sign in outer m argin n ext to this entry, same h and as
nota signs above.

141 nybewearden : so MS.C.L ; GS . emend nypewearde.

14] :fol. 131r begi ns.
1 6 ] Gif : MS . capital G- is a poorly formed capital, having been correctedfrom E; MS. oval sign in outer margin (as
1. 1 4).
1 6 1 meerm gc wudu l ehtric : so MS.GS .; C. maerin gc wu du lehtri e, L ma rm gcwudu, lehtric
1 9 ] A i [s ] : MS . piis; C . L. GS . em en d p is.

2 11 MS. thirteenth-century annotation in outer margin, Ad mao(u)lam.

174

[XJ Isis is seo ae6eleste eahsealf / wi3 eahwyrce, 7 wid miste, 7 wi3 waenne, 7 wid
25

weormum, 7 wid gic8an, 7 wib tyrendum eagan, 7 wig aelcum uncu3um geswelle: genim
fefedugian blosman 7 8unorclxfran blosman 7 dyles blosman 7 hamorwyrte blosman 7
twegra cynna wyrmod 7 pollegian 7 neo3owearde lilian 7 haewene hnydelan 7 lufestice 7
dolhrunan, 7 geporta ba wyrta tosomne, 7 awyll on heortes mearge oboe on his smerwe, 7
menge; do aon(ne) on tela micel in ba eagan 7 smere utan 7 wyrm to Eyre; 7 3eos sealf deah

30

wid aeghwylcum geswelle to dicganne 7 to smergenne, / on swa hwylcum lime swa hit on
bid .

[XI] Wi8 hwostan: nim huniges tear 7 mercer saed 7 diles sad; cnuca p(aet) sad smale;
ma!ng aicge wid bone tear, 7 pipers swiae; nim dry sticcan fulle on nihstig.

[XII] Wi3 eagena dymnesse: nim wulfes camb neodeweardne 7 lege on hunig breo niht;
35

nim pon(ne) 7 wipa p(mt) hunig of, cnuca pon(ne) an sticce dare wyrt; wring pon(ne) burh
linhwivenne clad on p(ast) sage.

24] MS . thirteenth-century ann otation in ou ter (G S . say bottom) m argin, C(ontra) om(ne)s pestileln Xias ooolor(um).
C . L read Ad ortnes pestil entias ocvlonim.
241 p is : hiS . D- is a decorated initial (bu t it is not at th e start ofthe lin e as is otherwise the case in MS).
241 : fo l . 131 v begi ns.

24]
2 7]
2 7]
2 7]

eahwyroe : MS. -o- above line on caret mark

twegra : MS . whole word on erasure: possibly ss'ena GS . see an erased b beneath tw-.
n eo8owearde : so MS. L GS.; C. neoae-wearde.
hie wene : so MS.G S.; C .L heewame.

2 7] hn yde lan : M S . it- above li n e on caret m ark

3 0 1 : fol . 132r begi ns.
321 MS. th irtee n th-cen tu ry annotation i n ou ter m argin, Ad tussim.

321
321
321
331

WiA : A LS. W- is a decora ted initi al xynn, five lines deep andpartly in inner margin.
meroes : MS. -r- a bove line on caret mark
Vast): so MS.C. L ; GS. emend pa.
liege :so MS.C. L; GS. emend aicce.

331 nffi stig : so MS ; C . L emen d n&t n &sli g; GS em end nffithistig, the scribe first wrote as nit (curled t finally), then
i n serted an s and appended -ig; a small, crude xynn follows above th e lin e within the text area.
34] MS . i n the outer margi n two con cen tric circles, and lower down a h and pointing to this entry.
3 5] wyR : so M S.C. L ; G S . emen d wyrte.

175

[XIII] Gif eagan tyrant genim grene rudan; cnuca smale 7 wes mid loran hunige o6be mid
dunhunige; wring pwh linenne clad on D(wt) eage swa Lange / swa him 3earf sy.

[UV] Se man se 8e bib on healsoman: rime healswyrt 7 wudamerce 7 wudafillan 7

40

streawbergean wisan 7 eoforprotan 7 garclifan 7 isenheardan butan aelcan isene genumen, 7

mbelferbpincwyrt 7 cneowholen 7 bradbisceopwyrt 7 brunwyrt; gesomnige ealle pas wyrta
togwdere prim nihtan aer rumor on tun ga, xlcre efemnicel, 7 gewyrce to drxnce on
wyliscan ealap; 7 pon(ne) o niht pon(ne) rumor on tun gx3 on merger, pon(ne) steal se
man wacyan ealle pa niht, be bone drenc / drincan wile; 7 pon[n]e cocoas crawan forman

45

syae pon(ne) drince he gene, ogre side pon(ne) dig 7 niht scale, priddan side pon(ne)
sunne upga, 7 reste hire syppan.

3 71 MS , in the outer margin two concentric circles (cf. L 34).

3 7] Gif : MS. a small Wynn above the -i- (cf. 1. 33); G- is a capital in inner margin.
38 ] : fol. 132v begi ns.
3 9 ] hip : MS . in outer m argi n.
3 9 ] h ealsoman : hiS. -s- above li ne on caret m ark
3 9 1 wudameroe: IS IS . annotation in ou ter m argin, wade m(er)ch e. S eni cle. S iwardes w ort; da ted C. "m a hand of about
115 011, L "spaterer hand" , GS . "thirteenth-century han d".
3 9 1 wudafil l an : MS . wi th accent sign above -u-; the last -a- is a squ are form with a flat slopi ng top stroke, the lever
h avi ng been correctedfrom an e; -n above li ne, no care t m ark
40 1 streawbergean : hiS . -g- is reinforced i n darker i nk
40 ] eofw^rdan : MS . has sq uare -a- alteredfro m e as above.
40 ] isenh eardan : MS . has squ are second -a- alteredfrom e as above.
411 eede lf'erclbin cwytt : so L G S .; MS w8e1 fend pinavyrt ; C. eedelferdp incw),i t
43] o nit : MS . C . L m ffit; G S . em end on n it
44] wa cyan : so M S. C . L ; GS . remark "an iso lated very late spill in g" and em end waci an (b ut then misprint wacyan).
44] : fol . 133r b eg ins.

44] wile : so MS.LGS .; C. wille.

44] bor [n]e : MS . pone, C.-G S . emend pause.
44] forman : MS . the descender of-r- is broken, beingformed in two strokes.
46] reste : MS . -s- is i mperfectly executed.

176

[XV] Pis is seo grene sealf: betonica, rude, lufestice, finol, saluie, m3elferpincwyrt, sauine,
helde, galluces moran, slarige, merce, cearfille, hrxmnes fot, mugwyrt, organs , melde,
quinq(ue)folium, ualeriane , clate, medewyrt, dweorgedwoslan, pipeneale, solsequium,
50

biscupwyrt, hxsel , quice, hegecliue, / grundeswylie, brocminte 7 ogre mintan, cicena mete,
gagel , hegehymele, cost, eorbnafala, hnutbeames leaf, lauberge, cymen, ele, weax.

[XVl] Wia adle: nim pre leaf gageles on gewylledre mealtre meolce; syle pry morhgenas
drincan.

[XVII] Wib heafodece: rude 7 dweorgedwosle 7 betas more 7 wuduroue; nim ealra
55

euenmicel swa du maege mid pinan scitefingre to pinu(m) bwnan befon; cnuca by smale, 7
mylt buteran 7 do of eall p(aet) /fine 7 do on cline pannan, 7 awyl da wyrta pwron wel, 7
wring burh cla3 ; do ele to, gif 8u begytan merge, 7 smyre his heafod mid per hit acy.

4 7] MS. th i rteenth-century annotation in outer m argi n Unguent(um) uiride (plus a paragraph sig n).
48] slarige : MS . -&- correctedfrom e, with no attempt to eraselobliterate the a
4 9 ] pipen eale : MS . pipe neale split by Lne-end, with -n- slightly below the line in inner margin and final -e untidily
formed.
4 9 ] solsequium : so MS .C.G S .; L so lfequium; MS. acu te top-stroke to -i-; first -u- may be on erasure.
5 0 1 qui ce : so MS . L GS .; C m isreads MS . qince, b u t suggests readi ng quice or qu itch.

SO]
50]
52 ]
52]

fol. 133 v begins.

broaninte : MS divided brnanin to over line-end, and -in- is damaged with -n- scarcely legible.
MS. later paragraph sign in inner margin and later capitulum sign before WiB.
pre : so MS . C. L ; GS . emend breo.

521 mea ltre : so MS .; C . remarks "it must be struck out" .

52] mmhgenas : so MS . LGS .; C . morgh enas.

54] MS . th irteenth-century annotation in outer margin, Cap(ut^

54] Wi8 : MS . W- ^s a decorated initi al wynn, three li nes deep and partly in outer margin.
351 binu (m) : GS. mispri nt abbreviation Pinum.
56] : fol. 134r begins.
561 awyl 0a : so MS .; GS. awy 13a.
5 7] his : MS . -is in darker ink.

177

[XVIII] Sealf wig fleogendum attre 7 faerspryngum: nim hamorwyrte handfulle 7 maege8an
handfulle 7 wegbrxdan handfiille 7 eadoccan moran, sece ba be fleotan wille, pyre bean
60

list, 7 clines huniges ane wgscylle fuller nim ton(ne) cline buteran, prywa gemylte be pa
sealfe mid weorcean wile; singe man ane maessan ofer / dam wyrtum wr man by toso(m)ne
do 7 pa sealfe wyrce.

JXIXJ Wia bone bledende fic: nim murran 8a wyrt, 7 ceorof nygan penegas 7 do on xlcne
hunig, 7 bige ba on aefen, 7 eft ogre nygan on merger, 7 do swa nigon dagas 7 IX niht
65

butan be Tabor bot come.

M] Oleo roseo sic facis: oleo libra(m) unam, flos hroseo uiride uncium hunum; commiscis
in ampulla uitria sub gipsos, et suspendis ad solem dies XL ut uirtus eius erit stiptica et
frigida; facis eum ad plurimus passiones, maxime ad do- / lorem capitis q(uo)d Grecae
a:ncausius uocant, hoc est emigrane[u]m capitis.

58] MS . thirteen th-cen tury a nn otation in ou ter margin, ad uen(a m).

58] Seatf : hiS . S- is a plai n i n itial in inner m argin.

61] midw aoroeaa : MS .C. LGS . midweoroean.

61 ] : fol. 134v begi ns.
63 ]
63]
63]
63]
66 ]

MS . a faded later capitulum sig n aJ?er wyrce.

bl edende : so MS.C. L ; GS . em end bl edendan; B T. gives bledendne.
fic : MS . acce nt sign over - i-.
ceoro f : so MS , with second -0- above line on caret marls sam e hand; C . L oeorF, G S , emend ceorfof.
Oleo : MS . O is a plain initial.

68] : fol . 13 5r begins.

6 8 ] Graeae : MS. -ae is e caudata.
69] emigane Ju ] m : MS . emi gre ne cum (he cum on a new line); C. emigraneaun (slightly misrepresented by GS ); L.
emigrane win; GS . emend emiganeum.

1 78

70

[?XI] Cardiacus hatte seo adl be man swibe sweeb; on by man steal wyrcean utyrnende
draenceas 7 him wyrcean cli3an to foran his heafde 7 to his breostan. Genim grene rudan
leaf; scearfa smale 7 cnuca swibe, 7 beren meala gesyft do 0aerto, 7 swetedne ece[d]; wyrc to
cliaan 7 do on picne clad 7 bind on preo niht 7 pry dagas; do eft niwne to, 7 [d]rince seoca
of braemelberian gewrungene oft.

75

[XXII] Sing / bis wig toaece syb3an sunne beo on setle, swine oft:
"Caio laio . gangue uoaque ofer saeloficia sleah manna wyrm. "
Nemne her pone man 7 his fxd[er]; cwe3 pon(ne):
"Lilumen ne =e3 pxc ofer eall pon(ne) ali3; colia3 bonne hit on eor3an hatost byrne3,
fin[i]t . Amen. "

70] hiS . th i rteenth-century annotation in outer margin, Cardiac(us); C . L Cardiaca

70] Cardiaau : hlS . C is a capi tal, partly in inner margin.

70] swwted : so MS. LGS.; C. svwte.

70] oo : so MS . C. L ; GS emend m : on .
72] ece[d] : so GS emend; MS . eoe, and the scri be started to write a t instead of a c; C . L. read MS . eta with C .
translating "oat" but noting corruption.
73] [d]rince : MS . brince wi th b halferased at top, but no further attempt to form a d C . LGS . read/emend drince; C .
sugges ts reading drince se seoca drenc of braemel berian ge wnmgene [or -ame] oR
751 MS . A later capitulum sign before Sing.
75] : fol . 135v begins .

751 wi0 : so MS . C. LGS .; S . wib.

75] swi8e : G. notes C .'s m ispri nt wwi3e.

761 Caio laio : so MS. C . LGS .; Stuart emends Caio laedo.

77] fwd[er] : so read/emend G.C .LS.GS. ; MS . feed; GS . say "a less probable emendation would be sad, "progeny"".
781 Ulumen tie : so MS .; previous editors and commentators read Lilumame.
78] piec : so MS .; alternati vely (but perhaps a little less likely) read MS . Past; Stuart reads h= and em ends peat; all
other editors and commentators have Pid wi thout comment.

781 ali8 : MS. a- correctedfrom another letter, pro bably u

78] coliab : so C . LS .; MS . - i- above line, apparently by same hand, but GS . say "not certainly by the same hand" and
read cola8.

791 fia[t][. Amen : so G. LGS . emend; MS .C . S . fintamen .

179

80

[XXIII] Wib done dropan : iue 7 fifleafe, nwdderwyrt 7 hlxdderwyrt 7 eor8geallan ; wyrc
bas wyrta on haerfeste 7 s(c]earfa by smale 7 drige hy, 7 [h]eald by ofer winter, 7 nytta by
pon(ne) 3e 3earf sy; wylle by on eala3.

[XXIV] Wi2f geswel: genim / Lilian moran 7 ellenes spryttinge 7 porleaces leaf, 7 scearfa
swibe smale 7 cnuca swi3e, 7 do on aicne clad, 7 bind on.

85

[XXV] Sing 8is gebed on ba blacan blegene VIIII sy[b]an; wrest "Pater p(oste)r":
"Tigaa tigab tiga0 calicet . aclu cluel cedes adclocles. acre earcre arnem. nonabiu3 xr
aernem ni3ren arcum cuna3 arcum arctua fligara uflen binchi cuterii . nicuparam raf afb
egal uflen arts . arts. arts trauncula . trauncula ; querite et inueni etis; adiuro to p(er)
Patrem et Filium et Sp(iritu)m S(an)c(tu)m, non amplius / crescas sed arescas. Sup(er)

90

aspidem et basilliscum ambulabis et conculcabis leone(m) et draconem; crux Mathews,

crux Marcus, crux Lucas, crux lohannes."

801 Wi8 : MS . W- is a very simple decorative initial, two lines deep in outer margin.
811 6as : so MS . LGS.; C. Sa
811 s[c]earfa : so all editors emend; MS. searfa.
811 [h]eald : MS . seald with - s- (and preceding 7) partially erased; all editors emend heald
83] MS . thirteenth -century anno tati on in outer (GS . say bottom) margin, Ad (?) rauc(e )d(inem) .
831 : fol . 136r b egins.
85] blegene : MS . - 1- above li ne on caret mark,- - ge- on erasure and untidi ly formed; thirteenth-century annotati on
in outer margin, Carb(unculum) ; C . GS . misread Carta; on I85] sy [0]an : MS . L syp6an ; C . remarks "read sipan or sibum" ; GS . emend sy3an.
86] adcl ocles : so MS . C . GS .; L adcocles.
871 wterii : so MS . probably (though w[em cannot be discounted); C . L. S . GS . wtem.
87- 8] afcf ell : so MS . C . LGS .; S . afiSega l .

88] arts arts arts : so MS . C. S . GS .; L arts arts.

88] trauncula : MS . -n-abo ve line over erasure, no caret mark.
89] MS . a p in the bottom right hand corner ofthe leaf.

89] : fol. 136v begins.

90] ambulabis : MS . -u- faded; second - b- has an oddfork to the ascender - possi bly on an erasure.

180

[?IXVI] Wib don be mon ob8e nyten wyrm gedrince, gyf hyt sy wxpnedcynnes sing bis leob
in pmt swibre Bare Pc heraefter awriten is; gif hit sy wifcynnes sing in p(mt) wynstre care:
"Gonomil orgomil marbumil marbsai ramum tofe3 tengo docuillo biran cui3aer
95

cxfmiil scuiht cuillo scuiht cuib duill marbsiramum . "

Sing nygon / siaan in p(wt) Bare is galdor 7 "Pater n(oste)r" gene.

pCXVM Isis ylce galdor m aeg mon singan wig smeogan wyrme; sing gelome on da dolh, 7
mid 3inan spade smyre; 7 genim grene curmeallan ; cnuca; lege on p(mt) dolh, 7 We mid
hattre cumicgan.

100

[XXVIII] Wia bon de mon attor gedrince: nim marubian sad; mTngc wib wine; syle
dri ncan .

921 W ia : MS . W- is a decorated i nitial wynn, two lines deep and partly in outer m argin.
92] g^f : so MS . C . L ; G S . mispri nt gyL
921 w eqn edcynn es : S . wa pn ed cyimes.

93] wifcynnes : MS. with w- on erasured f, a space between w- and -ifcyames.

94 5 ] Gan omil ... marbsiramum : MS . a man 's head (wi th pointed beard and possibly a h at) an d neck is drawn in
profile i n the outer m argi n next to the capital G-; Gonomil : MS. the first minim of -m- is formed from part of an
ascender 6?). th e top ofwhich can be fai n tly discerned.
94 ] tofe0 tan go : so L G S .; C. S . tofe&en go.
96 1 : fol . 13 7r begi ns.
9 7 ] sneogan : MS . -n a bove li ne, no caret mark.
98] genim : so MS .; S . n im
9 8 ] wnneal l an : hiS . - m- i n i nner margin and the Errs[ -1-above line on caret mark

181

PQU X] Isis is se halga draenc wia aelfsidene 7 wib eallum feondes costungum:
Writ on husldisce: "In principio erat uerbum" usq(ue) "non conprehenderunt", et
[p]1(ura) "Et circumibat Ih(esu)s totam Galilea(m) docens" usq(ue) "et secuti cunt eum /
105

turbe multe"; "D(eu)s in nomine tuo" usq(ue) in finem; "D(eu)s misereatur nobis" usq(ue) in
finem; "D(omi)ne D(eu)s in adiutorium" usque in finem.
Nim cristallan 7 disman 7 sidewaran 7 cassuc 7 finol, 7 nim rester fume gehalgodes
wines; 7 hat unmwlne mon gefeccean swigende ongean streame healfne rester yrnendes

wwteres; rum bonne 7 lege ba wyrta ealle in p(mt) waeter 7 pweah b(wt) gewrit of ban
110

husldisce paerin swi8e claene; gent pon(ne) b(wt) gehalgade win ufon on 3et oiler.
Ber ,on to ciricean; lit singan mmssan ofer, ane / "Omnibus" o3re "Contra
tribulatione", priddan "S(an)c(t)a Marian".
Sing bas gebedsealmas: "Miserere mei D(eu)s", "D(eu)s in nomine tuo", "D(eu)s
misereatur nobis", "D(omi)ne D(eu)s", "Inclina D(omi)ne", 7 "Credo", 7 "Gloria in excelsis

115

D(e)o", 7 letanias, "Pat(er) n(oste)r"; 7 bletsa georne in wlmihtiges Drihtnes Haman 7 cwe8,
"In nomine Patris et Filii et Sp(iritu)s S(an)c (t)i sit benedictum" ; bruc syppan.

1 021 bis : MS . P- is a decorated rnipa4 fou r lines deep in inner margin.

102] drmnc : MS . accent sign above -ae-.
1 0 31 In : MS . capi tal I- i n inner m argin.

1 031
1 041
104]
104]

oonprehendenmt : so L GS.; MS. ompre hmdenurt; C. oomprvii endenunt

[p]lura : MS . r + crossed I abbreviation (scri bal errorfor p + crossed V; no editor comments.
Et : MS. E- i n inner marg in.
: fol. 13 7v begins.

1 06] adiutorium : S . a djulorium.

11 1 ] pon : so MS .; all editors emend fi e.
111] massan : so MS. C . L. G S.; S . mwsan.
11 11 :fol . 138r begins.

111]
11 1 ]
112 ]
1 1 31

Omnibus : MS .C .L S . omnibus; GS . supply sanctis afterwards.

o3re : so MS.C.L,.GS.; S. ogre.
Sande : so MS . C. scs (wrth overline bar ofabbreviation); I S .GS. sandam.
Deus : MS. D- in inner margin.

1 1 41 excelsis : MS . -oel - above line on caret mark,

182

[X7UC] To wensealfe: rum elenan 7 rxdic 7 Alan 7 hraemnes fot, )Engliscne nip 7 final
7 saluian 7 supernewuda, 7 cnuca tosomne, 7 ni(m) / garleaces godne del ; cnuca, 7 wring
burh clad on gemered hunig; bon(ne) hit swibe gesoden sy, bon(ne) do bu pipor 7 sideware,
120

gallengar 7 gingifre 7 rinde 7 lawerbergean 7 pyretran, godne dxl aelces be dwre mx3e, 7
sy0ban hit swa gemaenged Para wyrta wos 7 b(wt) hunig, bon(ne) seob du hit twa swa swi3e
swa hit ax was ; bonne haefs pu gode sealfe wig wennas 7 wig nyrwet.

[XXXI] To godre bansealfe be mpg wib heafodece 7 wib ealra lyma tyddernysse steal :
Rude, / raDdic 7 ampre, uane, feuerfuge, aesc3rote, eofordrote, cil8enige, bete 7
125

betonican, ribbe 7 reade hofe, elene, alexandrian moran, clufbung 7 elate, libwyrt 7 Jambes
cerse, hylwyrt, hxsel, twice, wudurofe 7 wrxttes ci3, springwyrt, sperewyrt, wegbraede 7
wermod, ealhtran 7 hxfer3an, hegeclife 7 hymelan, gearwan 7 geaces saran, belenan 7
bradeleac; nim ealra 3yssa wyrta efenfela; do on mortere; cnuca call tosomne 7 do 8wrto
ifigcroppas. 7 nim aescrinde 7 weliges twiga 7 acrinde 7 wirrinde 7 surre apold[re] rinde / 7

130

wales rinde 7 wudubindan leaf, bas ealle sculan beon genumene on ne[o]doweardan 7 on
easteweardan ban treowan; scearfige ealle bas rinds togadere 7 wylle on haligwwtere obaaet
by wel hnedan; do bon(ne) to ban wyrtu(m) on mortTre; cnuca call tosomne.

11 7] MS . thi rteenth-century, annotation i n outer margin, Wen .

1171 To : MS T- is a plain i niti a l i n i nner m argin.

11 71
117]
1 1 8]
11 9]
12 0]

nim : MS. n- is a capital andfollows a space (sufficientfor two letters) after wensealfe.
7 (second) : so MS. L ; om. C .GS.
: fol. 138v begins.
sidewaran : MS. side ware (drvided by Gne-end); C.L. sideware; GS . emend sidewaran.
gallengAr : so MS .C.G S .; L. gallenga .

1211 getnucri ged : GS . remark " Has the scribe omitted sy, or was the author w orking from a Latin original?" .
121] pars : so MS . L G S .; C . pa .

1221 hicfs pu : so MS.C. L ; GS . emend hwfst bu.

123] To : MS. a later capi tulum sign precedes this word
123] bansea lfe : so MS. C.GS; L bansoalfe.
124] : fol. 13 9r begi ns.
12 7] hiefer 6an : MS. -e- above line on caet mark, -b- correctedfrom e.
1281 on : MS . o- correctedfrom another letter (probably n).
12 9 ] apo ld[re] rinds : G S . em end apo ldnerinde; MS . C . L apoldrinde.
1 2 9] : fol. 1 39v begins.

13 0 ] bas : MS . ^- correctedfrom another letter 0?).

130 ne[o] 0oweardan : MS . C. L (though L. notes scribal error) neboweardan; GS. emend neoboweardan.
131 -2] o8aael by : so MS.C.L; GS . o8ase thy.

183

Ni(m) pon(ne) heortes smera 7 hwferes smera 7 Bald morod 7 fearres smeru 7 bares
smeru 7 rammes smeru; mylte mon ealle tosomne 7 geote to trindan; somnige mon pon(ne)
135

ealle pa ban tosomne be man ge- / gaderian merge, 7 cnocie man pa ban mid aexse yre 7
seobe 7 fleote p(mt) smeru; wyrce to trindan; rime pon(ne) ealde buteran 7 wylle pa wyrta 7
pa rinds, don eall tosomne; pon(ne) hit beo one awylled Bette ton(ne); scearfa pon(ne) eall
b(wt) smera on pannan - swa micel swa pu sealfe haban wille 7 pu getyrwan merge; Bete
ofer fyr; laet socian, naes to swibe weallan, obdwt hyo genoh sy; seoh 8urh clad; Bete eft ofer fyr.

140

Ni(m) pon(ne) nygon clufa garleaces gehalgodes; cnuca on wine; wring purh clad; scaf
on myrran / pa wyrt 7 fanthalig wex 7 br[un]ne stor 7 hwitne rycels; gent pon(ne) finnan 6a
sealfe, swa micel p(ast) Sy III aegscylla gewyrbe; rum pon(ne) ealde sapan 7 ealdes oxsan
mearh 7 eames mearh; do pon(ne) ba tyrwan, and mxng pon(ne) mid cwicbeamenu(m)
sticcan o3 heo bran sy.

145

Sing pon(ne) paerofer, "Benedictus D(omi)n(u)s D(eu)s M(eu)s" 7 pone operne

"Benedictus D(omi)n(u)s D(eu)s Israel", 7 "Mangnificaa", 7 "Credo in unum", 7 D(wt)
gebed, "Mathews, Marcus, Lucas, lohannes"; sy p(mt) Bar per hit sy, smite mon 8a sealfe
merest on p(mt) heafod.

134] 7 : (seco nd) MS . correctedfrom the begi nni ngs ofayogh.

13 5 1 : fol. 140r begi ns.

13 7] dan : so MS.GS .; C. I.. emend do.

13 8 ] haban : so MS . C.L ; GS . emend habban.
13 9 1 gaioh : MS . g- i mperfectly formed, possibly altered from n.
141 ] fantha li g w ex : so LGS .; MS . C . fant halig wex (b u t C . wou ld emend fantha li g wester 7 wex).
141] br[im]ne stor : so S emends; MS. C . L. brimn e scot, GS emend br[}'n] estor.

14 1 1 : fol. 14Qv 6egr ns.

1411 Pon(ne) : so MS.; GS. misp rint abbreviation pcxin e.
1431 ctivicbeamenu(m) : so MS.; GS . misprint cwicbeamenutm
1471 per : MS . wi th -ter above line on caret mark and p- altered from crossed b abbreviation by erasu re of
cros stroke.

1 94

[XXXII] / Gif poc sy on eagan: nim ar, sapan 7 hinde meoluc; maeng tosomne 7 swyng; laet
150

standan o6 hit sy hluttor; nim pon(ne) paet hlutre; do on ba eagan; mid Godes fultume heo
steal aweg.

[7IXXIII] Nim clatan moran; cnuca swipe 7 wyl on beore; syle drincan wel wearm pon(ne)
du geseo p(mt) by ut slean; mid Godes fultume ne wyr3 him nan orne.

[X7IXIV] Pas wyrte sculon to lungensealfe: banwyrt 7 brunwyrt, betonican 7 streawberian

155

wise, supernewuda 7 isopo, saluie 7 sauine 7 rude, garclife 7 haesel, twice, medewyrt,
dolhrune .

[XXXV] Wi0 heafodece : / wyl in wxtere pollegian 71eac, mintan, fenmintan 7 p(mt) 3ridde
cyn mintan b(wt) bloweb hwite; pweah b(wt) heafod mid pys wore gelome.

[XXXVI] Wib hreofum lice: adelf ampron 7 gelodwyrt; teo[h] ut Lange; cnuca ealle wel;
160

wyll in buteran ; do kwon sealtes in; p (mt) bib god sealf wi3 hreofum lice; pweah pone man
mid hate 7 mid bare sealfe smyre.

149 ]

149 ]
149 ]
1521
1 54]

:fol. 1 4 1r begi ns.

Gif : MS. Cr is a capital, partly in inner margi n.

ar, sapan : MS . arse pan (divided by Une-end); C. L arsapan; GS . emend tnearhsapan .
MS. a later capitulum sign precedes Nim; there is no contempora ry indication that this is a distinct entry.
Pas : MS . h- is a plain initi al, three lines deep in inner margin.

154] bnmwyrt : MS . -y- above li ne on caret m ark

15 5 ] su pemewuda 7 isopo, salut e 7 sauine 7 rude : MS. these words are in terlined a bove the words banw},xt 7
bnmwyat, belm ican 7 streawberian i n the some hand and ink as the m ain body ofthe text.

15 7] : fol. 141 v begi ns.

1581 pys : so MS.GS.; C. L emend pysum.
159 ] MS , note sig n in outer marg in .

1 59] teo Uhj : MS.C.L GS . teon; MS t- is small and -n may be on erasure.

185

[X7CCVII] Wib cneowaerce: genim weodew[eax)an 7 hegerifan; gecnuca well tosomne 7 do

mela; lit standan nyhternum on pae(m) wyrtum; syle drincan.

[XXXVIII] / To eahsealfe: nim aluwan 7 sidewaran, lawerberian 7 pipor, gescaf smale; 7

165

cubuteran fersce lege on wester; nim pon(ne) hwetstan bradne 7 grid da buteran on 6aem
hwetstane mid copore p(ast) heo beo wel toh; do pon(ne) sumne del Para wyrta pEcrto; clam
3on(ne) on arfaet; lit standan nygon niht; wends man xlce doge; mylte sippan on 3aem
arfaete sylfan; aseoh purh clad; do syp3an on swylc feels swylce 3u wills; nyttige pon(ne)
be pearf sy; peos sealf maeg / wia aelces cynnes untrumnysse 3e eagan eiglia3.

1 62] W'i a : MS. W- is a plain ini tial wynn, two lines deep in outer margin.
1 6 2] w eode [weax] an : M S. weode wisan (divided by G ee-en d); C.L. weode wisan (th oug h C. sugges ts emending wad
wisan "w oad p l mrts"); G S . emend weodobende wisan.

1 62] hegerifan : MS . has flat- topped -a-, havi ng been corrected from e (scnbe corrects nominative to accusative
form).
1 6 31
1 64 ]
1 641
1 64]
1 64 ]
1 6 4]
1 641

mela : so MS . C . L ; GS . em end mech .

: fo l . 142r begi ns.
To : MS T- is a capital partly in i nner margin .
n im : MS . acute top-stroke to -i-.
sidewaran : MS . acute top-stroke to - i-.
lawerberi an : MS . acute top-stroke to - i-.
p ipor : MS . acute top-stroke to - i-.

1 65 1 nim : MS . acute top-stroke to -i-.

165] grid : MS . acute top-stroke to -i-.
1 66] mid : MS. acute top-stroke to -i-.
1 67] arfeel : MS . wi th -ae- correctedfrom a ; also a sign ofu ncertain significance above -t
1 67] n it : MS . acu te top-stroke to -i-.

1 68 ]
1 6 81
1 69 1
1 69]

sypdm : MS . -& above line on caret mark

nyttige : MS. acute top-stroke to -i-, the same above the dotted -y-.
mpg : MS. posi ti on at start ojLne wi th rest ofline left blank
: fol. 142 v begi ns.

186

170

[7ODCIX] Wib utsihte: genim haenne aeg; lege twa niht on eced; gif hit ne tocine, tosleah
hwon; lege eft in bone eced nyhterne; gesleah pon(ne) in buteran; lege in ele; ado pon(ne)
hwon ofer fyr; syle etan.

[XL] Eft wi0 po[n]: hunig 7 hwxtesmedman 7 unsylt smeoru 7 wex; wyl eall tosomne; syle
etan gelome .

175

[XLI] Wyll wi3 ion : miclan eorbnafolan 7 [fif]leafan 7 gy3hrofan 7 gearwan 7 eferpon 7
eofodearn 7 moldcorn 7 medewyrt / neo3ewearde; drinc gelome.

[XLII] Scaef efic wib pone] bol in meolc, 7 pige wwrlice; 7 seob ealle ba in meolce, 7
hwilum pa meolc geren mid cys[1]ybbe, 7 8ige hy.

1 70] MS .
1 70 ]
1 70]
170 1
171 ]
1 7 11
171]
1 7 11
173]
1 73]
1 731

i rteenth-cenhery annotation in outer margin, Cont(ra) fluxu(m) uentris.

Wi b : MS . W- is a decorated i n itial xynn, partly in outer margin and three lines deep.
ndit : hiS . acute top-stroke to -i-.
tocine : MS . acu te ^op-stroke to -i-; thirteenth-century ann otation in outer margin, chine.
in 07rst) : MS . accent sig n (or acute top-stroke) over i-.
bome first) : so MS . (With -tie con traction); GS. m isprint abbreviation gam e.
lege (second) : MS . final -e above li ne seem ingly in different ink, no caret mark.
ele ado : MS . agai n seemi ngly in different ink.
Eft : MS . E- is a large capital, two lines deep and partly in outer m argin.
Po [n] : MS . pon (ne) (i.e. with -tie contraction); all editors em en d bon.
smeo . MS . with -0-alteredfrom another letter (a ?).

1 75] [fif]leaf'an : A1S. leafan ; C . L leafan, but would read.v. leafan; GS. emend fifleafan.
17 5 ] 7 (th ird) : MS . m ay be a later in sertion, same han d; the sign does not descend below the line.
1 76 1 nwdewyrt : MS . on run-over.

176 ] : fol. 143r begi ns.

1 76] neobewearclz : MS. in slightly faded ink
177] bon[e] : so BTS .GS. emend; MS. bonne) (i.e. with -tie contraction) and -0-alteredfrom n; C.L. fie.
177] efic : MS . -f- is short and its descenderfaint.
1 771 pige : MS. b- possib ly alteredfrom p.
1 78] cys[l]ybbe : so all editors emend; MS. cysbybbe.

187

[XLIIII Wyrc utyrnendne draenc: genim fif 7 hundeahtatig lybcorna 7 neogon piporcorn,
180

fiftene sundcorn wel berended; cnuca smale; do sealt in 7 wyrmelo; mwng toso(m)ne 7 grid
swipe p(mt) hit sy p(aet) smTlste, geworht to Juste; genim scaencbollan fulne leohtes beores,
We hluttor Bala wel gesweted obbe gesweted win; mTngc 8a wyrta pxrwid geornlice; lit
stondan nihterne; firer nine eft on mergen pon(ne) he /pine drincan style swipe wel, 7 8a
wyrte geornlice wi3 bone watan gemengce; drince pon(ne).

185

Gif he sy to unswi8, wyl merce in wxtere; syle drincan; gif he to swib sy, wyl
curmeallan .

[XLIV] Ober utyrnynde draenc: genim medmicle moran glwdenon, fmdme longe 7 swa
greate swa bin puma, 7 swylc [t]u hamwyrte 7 celbenian moran 7 heleleafes moran 7
ellenrinde neo6ewearde, 7 waesc 0a moran ealle swi3e wel 7 besca!f utan swi3e cline 3a
190

moran 7 ba rinde; gecnuca ealle 0a wyrte swipe; ado in hluttor eala; beren[d] 7 gegnid
feowertig / lybcorna [71 ado pon(ne) in aim wyrtum; last standan preo niht; syle drincan aer
uhton lytelne scwnc fulne p (mt) se drwnc sy be aer geleored.

[XLVI bridde utyrnende drxnc: wyl secg 7 glaedenan neo8ewearde in saran eala8; asih
pon(ne) ; legs eft in niwe; lit ane niht inns beon; syle drincan .

179] 7 (second) : so MS .GS; om. C.L

18 0 ] simdcom : MS . glossed above sa xifragia i n a thirteenth-cen tury han d; the sam e later medieval hand writes a
hyphen after stmd at li ne-en d.
1 80 1 wymnel o : so MS . C . L ; GS . emend wyrmel lan .
180] 7: so MS.; om. C.L
18 3 ] :fol . 143 v begi ns.
18 5] Gif : MS G- is a capital i n outer m argin.
1 88 1 [flu : MS . C . L &i ; GS . emend tu .
1 90 ] beren[d] : MS . C . Lberen ; C . suggests "For berend, berinde, strip off rind or skin . Rine = Rind in English ".; GS .
em end berend.

191 ] : fol. 144r begi ns.

1911 171 : MS . crosse d 1 a bbrevia tion; L expan ds to o8ae; om . C. (but h e notes it i n footnote); GS . em end 7 .
1 9 1 1 ban (ns) : so MS .; GS . m isprint panne.
1 9 11 in : so MS .C. I_ ; GS . emend into.

1 93] hridde : MS. h- is a decorated initial, three lines deep and partly in inner margin.

188

1 95

[XLVI] Wyrc spiwdraenc: wyl hwerhwettan in wwtere; lit weallan la[nclge; asih pon(ne)
healfne bollan; gegnid hundeahtatig libcorna in pone] drTnc.

[XLVII] Wyrc o0erne of beore 7 of / feowertig lybcorna; ado seofontene pipercor[n] gif du
wille .

[XLVIII] Spiwdraenc: ado in beor We in win final; laet standan ane niht; syle drincan.

200

[XLIXI Wyrc sealfe wid heafodwwrce, 7 wid libwyrce, 7 wi3 eahwyrce, 7 wid wenne, 7 wid
aeore: genim eolonon 7 radic, wermod 7 bisceopvvyrt, cropleac, garleac 7 holleac, ealra
efenfcla; gecnuca ; wyl in buteran ; 7 celle3enian 7 reade netelan ; ado in wren fit; l aet 3 aerin
Opp(wt) hit haewen sy; asih 3urh cla3; smyre mid p(mt) heafod 7 3a leome per hit sar sy.

[L] Wi8 sidwwrce : betonican, / bisceopwyrt, eolonan, rwdic, o[mp]ran 3a be swymman ,

205

marufian, grundeswylie, cropleac, garleac, rude, hwle8e, ealhtre, hone; seo8 in buteran;
smyre mid 8a sidan; him bib sel.

19 5 1 Wyrc ; MS . W- is a decorated i nitia l Wynn, four lines deep and partly in inn er m argin ; -y- is imperfectly
form ed.

1951 la[nc]ge : MS . la cnge, with -o- misplaced and above line on caret mark; C . prints as MS., but notes the problem
in footnote ; LGS . emend lancge.
1 96 ] bo[ne] MS . ban(ne) (i.e. with -ne contraction); all editors emend pone.
1 97] Wyrc : MS . W- is a decorated capital wynn, two li nes deep an d partly in inner margi n.
19 7] / : fol . 144v begins .
1 97 ] p iperoor[n] : MS. piper cor, all editors em en d pipenoom.
1 99] Spiwdrsnc : S- is a large capital i n outer margin.
20 3] l eome : so M S. C . L ; GS. e m end leomu .
2 04 ] : fol . 145r begins.

2 041 o[nip]ran : MS . op pran (divided by line-end); C. oppran (but notes for ompren in footnote); LGS . emend
onqmm.
2 05 1 hwl eba : so MS.C. L (thoug h C. queries Hindh icl*? Fhhwlepe? m footnote); GS. emend hmdhxlebe.

1 89

[LI] Wyrc briw wi3 lungenadle : wyll in buteran as wyrte 7 scearfa smale : cropleac merest;
wyl hwile; ado 3on(ne) hraedic in 7 eolonan 7 beren mela 7 hwites sealtes fela; wyl loncge,
7 hatne ete.

210

[LII] Wyrc oberne: wyl in buteran gibhrofan, attorlaban, betonican; ma!nc ealle tosomne;
ado sy86an ofer fyr.

[LIII] Wyrc priddan briw: wyl in buteran / merce, eolonan, raxdic, pa clufehton wenwyrt,
hoc, wermod list; cnuca ealle wide wel ; syle wearm etan, 7 on ufan drincon briwa on dig

aer pon(ne) he ete.

215

[LIV] FeorBa briw: wyl in hunige beton o8be marubian; syle etan wearme.
Wyrc am dra:nc of Ore beton anre; wyll in wine We on eala8; he drince xr he bone briw
ete.

ILVI Draenc wi8 lungenadle: wyl marubian in wine We in eala3; geswet hwon mid
hunige; syle drincan wearme on nihtnicstig, 7 pon(ne) licge on 3a swidran sidan gode hwile
220

after 8xm drxnce, 7 panne one / swidran earm swa he swipast merge.

2 071 W}mc : MS . W- is a decorated i nitial w}mn, three lines deep and partly in inner margin.
2 0 8] bonne) : MS . -o- a lteredfrom n .

2 10 ] Wync : MS. a later capi tulum sign precedes this word.

2121 Wyrc : MS . W- is a plai n i n i ti al, two li nes deep in i nner m argin.
2 1 2 J : fo l . 1 45v begins.
214] pon(n e) : so MS . C . L fi e; GS. emend pm.

21 6 ] Wyrc : W- is a plain initial w}mn, two lines deep in outer margin.

21 6 ]
218]
21 9 ]
22 0 1

sore : MS . a bove th is is written a word in red pencil which is very hard to discern.
Dr:n c : D- is a large decorated initial, three lines deep in ou ter m argin.
nihtn icsti g : MS . wi th -n ic- above li ne on caret m ark, GS. say in a "small er, but contemporary hand".
pone : MS . -e i mperfec t due to a bu mp.

220 1 : fol. 146r begi ns.

1 90

[LVI] Genim betan; seob on buteran; syle hate etan mid dwre buteran, a bid swa selre swa
he faettron mete ete 7 gif he merge gedrincan hwilum [6]xre buteran.

[LVII] Eft draenc: genim marubian 7 pa lancge cliton 7 wermod 7 boben, gearwan,
betonican godne dael; do ealle in Bala; syle drincan on nyhtnicstig.

225

[LVIII] Genim feldmoran; gecnuca swi8e; lege in win We in Bala; lit standan aniht oboe
twa; syle drincan on nihtni cstig.

[LIX] Eft wid pon: genim gagel 7 / marubian 7 acrimonian; wyl in ealab; geswet mid
hunige.

[LX] Wyrc briw: wyll ysopon in buteran 7 rwdic 7 eolonan 7 beren mela [m]elt; wel longer
230

syle wearm elan .

[LXI] Briw : seo3 in buteran 7 in hunige beton swibe, obdwt he swa 8icce sy swa briw; ete
on nihtnicstig 3reo s[n]wda swa hates.

221] MS . thirteenth-cen tu ry annotation in outer m argin, blod lece (or bl od late). Despite a signe de renvoi it is not
clear wh e ther thi s refers to the end ofthe precedi ng entry or to the presen t one.
221] Genim : M S . G- i s a plai n capitaL
2221 fattrm : MS . the scri be at first intended to write on ly fit, b ut corrected his m istake by extending the cross bar
of the first (origi nally final) t to li nk with th e second.
2 2 21 gedrincan hwilum [OJ = buteran : MS. gedrincan hwilum genre buteran; C.L gedrincan hwilum ge ire
buteran ; GS em en d gedrin can hwilum hwselhwegd 6wre buteran ; I assume scribal dntography over gedrincan and ge.
222] buteran : MS. square -a -.

223] Efl : MS . E- is a plai n capital.

223]
22 5 ]
22 5
2231

lan cge : MS , slig h tly a skew a nd offthe ru led line; MS.C. L. lan cge; GS. emend lancgan.
Genim : MS . G- is a plain capital.
legs : MS . -cg crudely ru n together.
amlrt : so MS . C . L; GS . emen d ease nit

22 71 Eft : MS. E- is a plain capital in inner margi n.

22 71 : fol. 1 46v begins.
22 9 ] Wync : hI S . W- is a decorated ini tial, three lines deep and partly in ou ter margin.
22 9 1 [m ] ast : so C . L emend mast; MS.G S . n est.
22 9 ] wet l un ge : tits . w ellonge; C . wet lun ge (he says "MS, well on ge, and h ere the line en ds; perh aps supply swemum
xretere"); L. w et In ge (plu s erroneous n.); GS. w et t in ge.
232 ] s [n]ide : MS .C. soda (b ut C . suggests " Read siwda ) ; I..GS , emend si ada .

191

[EXIT] Slxpdrxnc: medic, hymlic, wennod, belone; cnuca ealle pa wyrte; do in ealab; laet
standan ane niht; drince bon(ne).

235

[LXIII] To haligre sealfe steal:

Betonican 7 benedicte 7 hindhxle8e 7 hxnep 7 hinde- / brer, isenhearde. Salfige 7
safine, bisceopwyrt 7 boben, final 7 fifleafe, healswyrt 7 hone, mucwyrt, medewyrt 7
mergelle, agrimoni[a] 7 x0elfer3ingwyrt, radic 7 ribbe 7 seo reade gearuwe, Bile,
oportanie, dracanse, cassoc 7 cawlic, cylebenie, wyirrind, weax, wudorofe 7 wraettes ci3.

240

Saturege 7 sigelhweorfa, brunewyrt 7 rude 7 berbene, streawberian wise 7 bl=es snegles

dust, ealhtre, fanan, merce, pollegian, attorla8e, haranspicel, wudufille, wermod,
eoforprote, )Encglisc cost, / hwwene hnydele, uica p(er)uica, feuerfuge, hofe, cymen 7 lilige,
leuastica, alehsandrie, petresilige, grundeswylige. Pysra feor wyrta man sceal mist don to 7
eallra obra aelcre efenfela.

2331 Sl aqxb=c : MS . ro ta sig n i n ou ter m argi n before th is en try.

23 5 1 To : MS . T- i s a plai n capital in ou ter m argin.
23 6 1 hindebrer : MS. L h inde brer (spli t over foL b reak); C. hin d brer ; G S . emend hmdbrer.
23 6 ] : fol . 147r begi ns.
23 6 1 is aih earde : so MS . C . L ; G S . em end isenh earde 7, transposing 7from after he ap.
23 6 1 Salfige : so MS . capitaliza tion , GS . err i n saying "capital letters are here used".
23 6 ] 7 (fifth) : so MS . L GS ; om. C .
23 7 ] hea lswyrt : MS . -s- correc tedfrom ano th er letter.
2 37] 7 (third) : so MS.C. L; om. C.
23 7 1 mucwyrt : so M S . C . L ; G S . mucgw}rt
23 7] 7 (fmirth) : so MS. LGS.; om . C.
238] agrimm i[a] : so GS em end; A-LS . (with -g- alteredfrom t) C. L agrimonis.
238] s0elfer3 m gwytt : so L G S .; MS. del fenjing w}rt; C. mdelfer6mg wyrt; MS. thirteenth-century gloss in outer
m argi n, Auis l in gua .

23 9 1 opoRanie : so C. L ; MS. oportanie (divlded by line-end); GS. emend oportanie 7.

23 91 cyle8an ie : so MS .C. L ; GS. emend 7 cyle8eaie, transposing 7 from its position after cylebenie in MS.
23 9 ] wyirrind, weax :ILLS . wyirrind wea k C. reads wyinind weax (and understands weax to m ean "wood-wax"); L
wyirrindweax, GS . em en d wyirrind, wuduw eaxe.
23 9 ] wudo rofe : so MS. C .; L G S . wudurofe.
240 ] Saturege : so MS. capi talization ; GS . prin t as MS ., bu t wrongly state that "capital l etters are here used".
242] eoforbrote : so C. L ; MS . eofor prole; G S em end eoforbrote 7.
242] ^Fncglisc : MS . with -o- above li ne, no caret mark
242] : fo l . 147v b egi ns.
2421 hsw ene : so MS .C. L (with the "e" part of-m- veryfaint); GS. emend 6aewen (or hwwanu).
2421 h ofe cynnen : G S . transpose to follow hnydele.

2421 airs : so MS .C. L ; GS. emend uinca.

242]
242]
2431
243]

p(er)uica : so MS. C . L.; G S . em end per uinca 7, transposing 7 from after cymm; -ca above line on caret mark.
feu erfuge : so C . L ; MS . fev er fuge; GS. feferfuge; MS, thirteenth -cen tu ry i n terli near gloss, oeutaurea minor.
al ehsandfie : so C . L ; MS . aleh sandrie (divided by line-end); GS. misread alensandr ie and emend alch sandrie.
feor : so MS .C. L ; GS . em end feower.

192

245

7 bus man steal ba buteran gewyrcean to were haligan sealfe: xt anes heowe[s] cy,
p(aet) heo sy eall recd ob8e hwit 7 unmxle, mon ba buteran a8were; 7 gif bu nTbbe buteran
genoge awxsc swi0e claene, mxngc obre wiO, 7 ba wyrta ealle gescearfa swibe smale
tosomne, 7 wester gehalga fonthalgunge, 7 do teat finnan if in ba buteran.
Genim pon(ne) Anne sticcan 7 gewyrc Nine fe8orbyrste; writ onforan bas halgan

250

Haman : Mathews , Marcus , Lucas, lohannes .

Styre bon(ne) mid by sticcan da buteran, eal p(at) faet; du sing ofer has sealmas, "Bead
inmaculad......

lcne ariwa ofer, 7 "Gloria in excelsis D(e)o", 7 "Credo in D(eu)m

Patrem", 7 letanias arime ofer, D(wt) [i]s tiara haligra Haman 7"D(ew)s m(ew)s et Pater", et
"In principio", 7 b(wt) wyrmgealdor, 7 is gealdor singe ofer:
"Acre arcre arnem nona xrnem beo8or mrnem. / nidren. arcun cunab ele harassan

255

fidine. "
Sing 3is nygon siaan, 7 do bin spad on, 7 blaw on, 71ege 8a wyrta be 8xm cease, 7
gehalg[ie] by sy3aan mmssepreost .

24 5 1 apes : NIS . the -s inserted later by the some hand.

24 5 1
2 46 ]
246 1
246 1
2 47]
24 7]

heow e [ s ] : so LS .GS . emend; MS.C. h eave (th ough C wou ld "read h eowes ).
recd od e : so MS.; S. rea d obd .
iaunsle : MS . fast stroke ofu- is i ndisti nct
die : so hIS .C. L ; G S . em end din e 7.
w i 0 7 : MS . added i n outer m argin by sam e hand in fainter ink
gescearfa : MS . -s- partly obliterated by a blemish.

248 ] frthal gimge : MS . first -g- alteredfrom n.

248] : fol. 148r begi ns.
2 48 1 in : NIS . added in inn er margi n, same hand.
24 9] bonne) : so M S.; GS . misprin t bo nne.
2 51 ] afar :tits . of- possibly on erasure.

2 5 2] mmaw lati : so MS; C. LS .G S . immawlati.

2 5 3] Izlanias : NIS . acute top-stroke to -i-.
2 5 3]
2 5 3]
2 5 4]
2 54]
2 55 ]
2 55 ]

crime : MS . a vertical tailstroke on a - descends below th e lin e.

[ i ] s: NIS . his; all editors eme n d is
7 (/first) : so MS . L GS; om. C .
sin ge : so MS .LG S .; C . sin g.
Arne : MS . A- is a decorated initial, fo ur lines deep and partly in inner margin.
arQe : so MS. C .G S .; L acre.

255] : fol. 148v begi ns .

2 55 ] ni dr zn :his . -r- is imperfectly formed.
2 55] araun : so MS . C .GS.; L aavn .

2 57] Ba : MS. above line; GS. say "contemporary and possib ly same hand".
2 58] geha lg[ie] : MS. C. L. gehalga; GS. emend gehalgie.

193

Singe bas orationis ofer:

"D(omi)ne, s(an)c(t)e Pater, om(ni)p(oten)s eterne D(eu)s, p(er) inpositionem manum

260

mearum refugiat inimicus diabolus a capillis , a capite, ab oculis, a paribus, a labis, a

linguis , a sublinguis, a collo, a pectore, a pedibus, a calcaneis, ab uniuersis confaginib(us)
membrorum eis, ut non habeat potestatem diabolus, nec lo- / quendi, nec tacendi, nee
dormiendi , nec resurgendi , nec in die, nec in node, nec in tangendo, nec in somno, nec in
265

gressu, nec in uisu, nec in risu, nee in legendo ; sed in nomine D(omi)ni Ih(es)u (Cristi) , qui
nos suo s(an)c(t)o sanguine redemit, qui cum Patre uiuit et regnat D(eu)s in s(e)c(u)la

s(e)c(u)lor(um) . Amen . "

"D(OMI)NE mi , ri go te, Pater to deprecor, Fil ii, obsecro te, D(omi)ne et Sp( iritu)s

S(an)c(tu)s, ex toffs uirib(us) , s(an)c(t)a trinitas, ut delas omnia opera diaboli ab isto
270

homine; inuoco s(an)c(t)am trinitatem in adminilu(m) meum, id est Patrem et Filiu(m) et

Sp(iritu)m S(an)c(tu)m; conuerte D(omi)ne / istius homines oogitationes et car ei(us), ut
confiteantur omnia mala sua et om(ne)s iniquitates ei(us) que abet, ut uenit omnia bona sua
et uoluntatem eius; unde ergo, maledicte, recognosce sentiam foam, et da honorem D(e)o, et
recede ab oc famulo D(e)i, ut pura mente deseruiat consecutus graham"

259
260 ]
2 601
2 61 ]
2 6 21
2 6 3]
2 6 3]
2 64]
2 65 ]

orotimis : so C . L ; MS . orati m is (drvrded by line -e nd); S . GS . emend oaaRimzs.

Domine : MS . o fai nt cross i n th e ou ter margi n i n a different hand - all editors omi t
manum : so MS. L G S ; C . emends manuum ; S reads manum and emends manuum
labi s : so MS . L labis; C. GS . emen d l abiis; S labis and em ends lab iis.
oonfa ginib( us) : so MS . C . L ; GS . emend aonpagmi bus; S cmfaguubus and emends o onpaginibus
: fo l . 14 9r begi ns.
n ee loquendi : so C . L ; hiS neclo quendi (divided by Gne-end); GS . nedo quendi.
nec in tan gando : so MS.C. L ; G S. tran spose to follo w L 265 nec in ri se
sed : so MS. C . L ; G S . emend si c,

2 68 1 D(OMI)NE : so MS.C. capitallsahon; D- is a decorated rmna4 partly in inner margin); LGS. D om me.
26 8] ri go : so MS ; all editors emend rogo.
2 6 81 Filii : so MS.; all edi tors emend fill .
2 69 1 tons : MS . with -s on erasu re and separated from the rest ofthe word

2691 delas : so MS.; all editors emend deleas; -a- is a squareform with a flat sloping top-stroke.
2701 admin ilu(m) : so MS.; all editors emend admini lum
2 71 ] : fol. 1 49v begins.
27 1] homines : so MS .; all editors emend hom
271 1 ei(us) : so MS . GS .; om. C.LS.
2 721 omfiteantur : so MS .; a ll editors emend oonfiteatur.
2 72 ei(us) : orn . C .L S .; MS . above li ne on care t m ark.
2 7 2] abet : so MS .; a ll editors em e n d habet

272] uanil : so MS.C. L ; GS . emend uaiiat

2 73] scntiam : MS say tiam (divided by line-end); all editors emend sententisim
2 74] oc : so MS .; C. emends hoc; LSGS. hoc

194

275

"D(OMI)NE, sancte Pater, om(n)ip(oten)s eterne D(eu)s, to fecisti velum et terra(m) et

om(ne)s ornatus eorum et om(ne)s s(an)c(t)i sp(iritu)s [et] angelorum exc[er]citus; [tu]
fecisti solem et lunam et om(n)i antra celi; to fecisti Ada(m) / de limo terse et dedisti ei
adiutorium Euam uxorem suuam, it est mater uiuorum; to D(omi)ne uiuificasti nos super
Women s(an)c(tu)m tuum et liberasti nos a periculis malis super Women File Ih(es)u (Cristi)

280

D(o)m(ini) n(ost)ri; libera D(omi)ne animam famuli tui N. et redde sanitatem corpori
famuli tai N. p(er) Women s(an)c(tu)m foam. "
"D(omi)ne, s(an)c(t)e Pater, omnipotens eterne D(eu)s, rogamus to D(omi)ne D(eu)s
n(oste)r, p(ro)pter magnam misericordiam foam, ut liberal famulum foam; et da honore(m)
/ nomini tai D(omi)ne in s(e)c(u)la seculor(um). Amen."

285

"Benedictio et s(an)c(t)ificata om(ni)a atque benedicta depulsi atque obsectis uetustati

hostis adque pretiu(m) facinora sincentoris insidiis salubriter et unis Beam uersaria
isolemnitate diuersis terre edendis germinibus summanus, p(er)."

2751 D( OMI )NE : so MS . C . capitalizatio n; MS. D- is i n outer margi n ; LS .GS . Domine.

2761 s( an)c(t r : so MS . C . LS .; GS . emend sandos.
2 76 1 sp( iritu)s : so MS . C . S . GS .; L. spiriti .
2 76 1 [ et] : so GS . emend; om. MS .
276 ] ex [ erJ ciws : so all editors emend; MS . excitus (om ission ojsign ofv6b reviadon for -er-).
2 76-7] [tu] fecisti : so S . em ends; MS . I.. GS . defeci sti; C . de fecisti.
2771 orti(n r : so MS .; all editors emend otm ia

277] MS . a gap ojabout two letters'space between ce li an d tu

2 77] :fol. 1 50r begins.
2 7 81 Euam : MS . -u- correctedfrom m (or n ?) by partial erasure.
278] suuam : MS . -a- above li ne on caret mark; all editors emend loam
2 78 ] it : so MS .C. L. S .; S . GS . em end i d

2 78] u iuonun : so MS. C.; LS.GS . uironun.

279]
28 0 ]
281 ]
2 8 3J
284

Filii : so hi& correctedfrom filium by erasu re ofthe m an d the second stroke ofthe a
corpori : so MS . correctedfrom corporis by erasure.
N. : MS . i n i nn er margin.
li beral : so rIS.; all editors emend libeics.
: fol . 1 50v begi ns.

2 84] nomini : MS. corrected from (probably) nominis by erasure; a gap of about two letters' space follows before
w..
284] tai : so MS .; all editors emend too.
2 8 4] Amen : MS , has Caroli ne mi nuscule -e-.
285] Banedi dio : MS B- is a large decorated t n rhal, two li nes deep and pa rtly in ou ter margin.
2 8 5] depulsi : MS . -si corrected by partial erasure.

28 5 ] uetustati : so MS.C. LGS.; S . vetustate.

28 5] obsedi s : MS . -o- has a hook at the bottom (an x9).
286 ] deem : so MS; C. L S.GS. deum.
28 61 ucrsaria : MS . -a above li ne on caret mark
28 7] isol enmitate : so MS . C.; L. em ends sol emnitate; S.GS . so l emn itate.
28 71 summan us : so MS . C . LGS .; S summamus.

195

"S(an)c(t)ifica, D(omi)ne, hunc frustum arborum ut [hi] qui ex eo u[t]u(nt](ur) simus

s(an)c(t)ificate, per."

290

[LXIV] / "& circu(m)ibat Ih(esu)s tota(m) Galilea(m) docens in sinagogis eoru(m) et

p(re)dicans euangeliu(m) regni et sanans omne(m) languore(m) et omne(m) infirmitate(m)
in populo; Banat to D(eu)s Pater) om(ni)p(oten)s, qui to creauit; Banat to fides tua, qui to
liberauit ab o(m)ni periculo; (Criste) adiu nos. D(eu)s m(eu)s et Pater et Fil(i)i et Sp(iritu)s
S(an)c(t)i."

295

has gebedu priwa man sceal singan, aelc priwa on pysne drxnc; 7 pis mannes ova
eallinga on pone wxtan pa hwile pe he hit singe.
Gif se mon sy finnan forswollen D(wt) he ne merge pone wwtan picgeaq sins hi(m) on

pone mup finnan :

"Tuns beatus Iohannes, iacentib(us) mortuis his qui uenemim biberunt, intrepidus et
300

constans accipiens [calicem] et singnaculu(m) crucis faciens in eo digit:

288] S(an)c(t)ifi ca : MS . S- is a large zoomorphic (serpentine) caplmZ three lines deep in outer margin
288] [h i ] : om. TSS . and a ll editors.
288] u[t]u[nt](ur) : MS ( ? )uium(ur) - a series of seven snidely formed and arranged minim strokes followed by the ur contrac tion; C emends uiuim[us ] wi thout giving the bIS readi ng; L misreads uiuim and emends uiuimus; S
vivimus ; GS misread uiuimus (believing the contraction to indicate -us) .

2891 s(an)o(t)ificate : so biS.; S sandificxRi ; other edi tors emend sandificati.

2901 : fol . 15 1 r. begins; C . omi tsfoL (recto and verso).
290 ] & : MS . a large ampersand.
292] Banat (fi rst) : so MS . LS .; GS . emend saneL
292] om(ni)p(aten)s : TfS . with overline bar ofabbreviation partly erased above ate-.
2 921 sanat (secon d) : so MS . L,. S .; GS . em end san et.

293] periwlo : MS. with Caroli ne minuscule -e-.

293] adiu nos : MS. adiun os wi th Caroli ne minuscule a-; LS. ad uiuos ; GS . emend adiuua nos.
293] Fil[i] i : MS . filili ; L. S.GS . emend fi lius.
2 9 4] S( an)c(t)i : so MS .; LS . sandus; GS . emend sandus; S . con cludes this entry here, continuing in a different
entry.
295] priwa (second ; so MS . LGS .; S . priwa .
295] pysne : MS . wi th -y- poss ibly on erasure.
297] he ne merge : so MS . GS .; so L. S . emend (m isreading MS . as he ne 7 miege) .
2 99 ] isoantib(us) : so MS . LS .; GS . m isread MS . iaarrtabus an d emend ia cxntibus.
2 99 ] u eaenum : so MS .GS .; S . vcm enum; L. unenum.

3 00 ] [cali ceml : om. MS . LS.G S.

3 00] in eo : so MS.; LS .GS . meo.
300 ] in eo dixit : so MS.; S misreads meo dixit and emends ben edirdt.

196

"D(eu)s m(eu)s et Pater) et Filius et Sp(iritu)s S(an)c(tu)s, cui om(ni)a subiacta sent,
cui omnis creatura deseruit et omnis potestas subiacta (est) et metuit [et] expauescit
cu(m) nos to ad auxiliu(m) inuocamus; cuius auditu nomine Serpens conquiescit et draw
fu[glit, silit uipera, et rubita ills q(ue) dicit(ur) rang quiets [e]xtorpescit, Scorpius
305

extinguetur et regular uincit(ur), et spalagias nihil noxium operator, et om(ni)a

uenenata et adhuc ferociora repentia / [et] animalia noxia tenebrantur et om(ne)s
aduerse salutes humans radices arescunt. Tu, D(omi)ne, extingue hoc uenenatum uirus,
extingue operationis ei(us) mortiuer[u]s et wires quas i[n] se habent et uacua; et da in
conspectu too omnibus quos to creasti oculos ut uideant, sores ut audiant, cor [u]t

310

magnitudinem tua(m) intellegant".

"Et cum hoc dixisset totem semetipsum armauit crucis signo et bibit totem good erat in
calice; et postea quam bibit dixit:
"Peto, ut propter quos bibi conuertantur ad te, D(omi)ne, et ad salutem que spud to est,
to inluminante meriantur"; per eundem."

3 02] et : so GS. emend and remark "wrongly inserted above line after quiets three lines lower, by same or
contemporary hand, and there retained by L"; om. MS . S.
3 03] cvius : so MS (wi th -i- extending below the base line); LS .GS . auis.
303] nanine : so hlS.; LS. nomma; GS . as MS., but misprint nomin [e] .
3 04] fu [ g]it : so S . GS . em end; MS . LS . fa it; MS. fuit on erasure, with on e faint letter (o?) precedi ng it
3 041 shit : so MS . shit; LS . silicet; GS . emend silesciL
304] [ e ] xt orpescit : MS . (so LS) et eatorpescdt with at ex- and wit above line; I 6rollowr ng G S) transpose et to precede
expauescit i n L 302, hiS . the t- of-torpes- is front

3 06 ]
3 061
306 1
3 06]
30 7]

uan enata : MS . -a- is a square form, havi ng been correctedfrom e by partial erasure.
repaitia : so LS.; hiS repentia with pia on run-over, GS . emend re
itia runt
: fol. 151 v begins, om. C.
[et] : om. MS . LS.G S., and L begins a new sentence with Animalia .
humans : so MS.; L lmmanae; GS . humanae.

3 0 8] operatimi s : so MS . L ; S . emends operatim es; GS . emend operationem

30 8] mortiuerus : MS. mortiuerous, with -o- above line on caret mark, L emends mortiueivs; S. mortivecus and
emends mortiferas; GS. emend mortiuerum
308 1 i[n] : MS . i; LS.GS . in.
308] habari : so MS.LS.; GS. emend habeas.
309 ] oor [u]t : so LS.GS . emend' MS . ooniit.
3 11 1 semetipsum : MS. (divided by line-end) S. se metipsum (and S. then divides) seines ipsum; GS. semetipsum.
311] silo : so MS. GS .; LS. sigia.
313 ] D(omi)ne : MS. the tongue ofthe -e was exaggerated by the scribe and then corrected by partial erasure.
313] spud : MS. a pod (divided by line-end), with the a- is partly damaged and slightly below the line.
314] MS . following eumdem the rest of the si de (approxi mately half of it) is left blank The blank hatj was later reruled fo r twelve lines of writing, on only the first li ne of which a later (GS . say thirteenth century) hand writes:
pwithe [p- is uncertain] man gardclife on mid; GS. read pwiche man gardclife on mid, Ker reads Wwrcbe man
gardclife on mid

1 97

315

gefultmige seo brims seo annis

[LXV]

/ SuH'ragare trinitas unitas,

aeere annisse gen,ilasa me seo prinnis
unitatis miserere trinitas.
gefuttmige is bidde me gesettum

320

Suii'ragare q(ue) so mini posito

saes micel swa swa in &wcennisse

maris sonum magni uelet in periculo,

5
3 25

p(eetXe nabs mid heo too mec seo dea8lirnes

ut non serum trahat me mortalitas
8eoses geares ne byres middangeardes idelnes
uius ani neque mundi u(a]nitas.
7 asec ;fee ic bidde fro(m) piea^ hyhswcm>
Et hoc idem peto a sublimibus
Imes heofonlican oo(m)veorodes miegenu(m)
celestis militige uirtutibus:

330

0ylss mec forlaten to slitame feondum

[n]e me linquant lacerandum hostib(us),

315] En hyLXV.' Th e Lonca ofLaidcenn. N.B. GS .'s m isreadings and em endations of the OE gloss in En try LXVare
reproduced by H erren i n hi s edition; other m istakes an d om issions in the OE gloss in Harley 585 made only by
H erren are recorded belo w with th e exception ofhis reproducti on ofthe letter w as ae.

315-6 1 : fol. 1 52r begins.

3 15 ]
31 6 ]
3 16 1
31 8 ]
3 19 ]
32 0]
321 ]
321]
322]
322]
323]
323]
32 6 ]
32 6]

gefuhmige : so MS. L (MS . with a sligh t space between -t- and -m-); GS. gefuhimige.
S uffra gare :ILLS . S- is a plai n r m hal, two li nes deep and partly in inn er m argin.
trinitas : so MS . L ; GS . emend trinitatis; Herren appears no t to record the form .
trv tas : so MS. LGS .; H em appears to misread Trinitatis.
gefultmi ge : so MS. L , (MS . with a slight space between A- an d -in-); G S . gefiihimige.
Suffra gane : so MS . capi tahsahon ; GS . suffragare.
sa es : so NSS .; L sss.
mi cel : so MS. L ; G S . emend mides (Herr en does not i ndicate em endation).
mans sonum : so MS .; GS . em end mans.
u elet : so MS. (3 S . emen d ue l ui.
p( eetXe : so M S. L G S .; om . H erren .
sea: so MS. L G S .; a m. Herren.
uius : so MS.; G S . em en d h u ius.
ani : so hiS.; GS . emend anni .

326] u[ a ]nitas : so GS. emend, NIS . unites but with a very small a inserted above the line on a ^ shaped caret mark in
a later hand- probably by John Joscelyn.
32 7] fro(m) ^wm 6y6stu(m) : so MS . LGS .; om. Herren.
32 8 ]
32 9 ]
33 0 ]
33 0 ]
331]
331)
331 ]
332]
332 ]

et : NIS. fo rm m ay show earlier insu lar traits i n its form ation, possibly deriving from an exemplar.
oo(m)pw eorodes : so MS . L ; GS . compwerodes.
cel estis : so r LS .; GS . m isread MS . ce lestas and em e n d cel estis.
militige ! MS . -g- crossed out - apparen tly mu ch later - i n fainter ink GS . emend militie.
to : so MS. L G S .; om. H er= .
s litenne : MS . wi th -1-correctedfrom t by partial erasure (tell s- in st- ligature originally).
feondum : MS , with -dum o n ru n-over.
[n ]e: MS . h e, wi th the h- corrected to o- by crossing out the vertical ofh-, again in fain ter ink
h ostib(us) : MS . with -s tibus on run-over.

1 98

ac gescilden soblice w eepnu (m) strongum

10

/sed defendant iam armis fortibus;

b(eetxe heo mec foregongen in feban
ut me illi procedant in acie,

33 5

Bas h eofon l ican weorudes wi&eates

celestis exercitus militie:

wisdomes gefyln es 7 Bodes lufu onbem es mi d cw(m)Wum

cheruphin et seraphin cum milibus,

340

swa swa god 7 Bodes strengu geGwm

Michael et Gabriel similibus.
is wince arymseld pa lyfiendan heahenglas

15

Opto thronos uiuentes archangelos,

aldordomas 7 dugu8melrte wnglas
principatus et potentates ang(e)los,

345

b( st)e mec biooe gescyl daide weorode

ut, me denso defendentes agmine,

feond is rt wge ge fyl lan

inimicos ualeam prosternere.

350

syNan after pan Dare clan

Tum deinde / ceteros agonithetas,

333]
3331
334]
334]
33 4]
33 5 1
335 ]

gescilden : so A LS . L G S .; H erren gescytden .

so3lice : so MS . L G S .; H erren soblice.
: fo l . 1 5 2v begi ns.
sed : MS . with a sm all capital S-.
defendant : so MS; GS . emen d defendant me,
b(e t )1.e : so hiS . L ; GS . m ispri nt matte.
heo : MS . - as GS . observe : "h Corrected from n, same hand".

33 6] procedant : so MS. with a small e above the o added by a later corrector - probably John Joscelym; the scribe
hi mseJfatfirst wrote precedent and then altered thefirst e to o; GS precedent
33 7] wi gkxeates : so MS. L ; GS . emend wigpreatas (Herren does not indicate the emendation).
339] 7 : so MS . LGS.; am. Herren.
33 9 ] mbemes : so MS . LGS .; om. Herren.
340] milibus : MS . with ti- in terlined by a later hand - probably, John Joscet}-re 's - on ^ caret mark toform militibus.
34 1 17 : so MS . LGS .; on Herren .
342]
344 ]
3441
34 5 ]
346]

Ga brie l : so MS. LGS.; Herren Gabnih el .

u i u entes : so MS.; GS emen d uirtutes.
archan gelos : MS . with -r- and -o- ru n together.
7 du gu amehte : so MS .L.GS .; Herren dugubraffite,
et : so MS .; G S. purposefully om i t.

349] feond : so MS. LGS .; Herren feonda .

349] is : MS. -c correctedfrom e.
3 5 1 ] o8re ceenpan : MS . i nk h as faded h ere.
3 5 2] : fo l . 153r begi ns.

199

heahfwderas feower si3an

20

witegan

patriarchas, quattuor quater prophetas,

355
and apostolas, (cristes) scipes steoran

et apostolos XII, naues (Cristi) proretas,

prowess a lle is bidde godes caempan

et martyres omnes peto athletas Dei,

360

p(aec)te mec purfi heo peere ecan haelo ymbsylle

ut me per illos sales eterna sepiat
7 wghwylc yfel from me gewite

atq(ue) omne malum a me pereat.

Grist mid me were faeAe trume geficstnige

25

(Cristus) mecum pactum firmu(m) fereat:

365
ege 1'yrirto 3a sweartan weorud abrege

timor tremor tetras turban terreat.

god un^uuhsceotendli Qe gescyldnesse

D(eu)s inpenetrabi le tutela,

^wman mec gescild / ainre [n^1rte
370

undique me defende / potentie tee .

mores lichoman lewera alle alms

Mea gibre pernas omnes libera,

3 5 3] heahfaedecas : hiS . -r- is fai nt.

353] siban : G S . supply feonva after this to gloss quater.
353 ] witegan : MS . a li ttle faint.

3 5 41 quattu or : MS . first -t-above line on caret mark

3 55 ] and : so MS . L GS.; om. Herten.
35 6 ]
3 36 ]
3 57]
3 58 1
3 591

XII : so MS.; GS . purposefully om i t; om. Herren .

nav es : so h1S .; GS . emend nau is.
cwmpxn : MS . a do t above -m- (apparen tly by the sam e scnbe).
Dei : so MS . L ; om. GS . ( Herren records, b u t omits i ts gloss, godes).
p( aetXe : G S . m isprint jmd1e.

35 91 ecmn: so hiS .; L ecaen and sugges ts eoean ; GS. emend ecean .

3611 wghwy l c : so MS. LGS .; H erren aeghwyliq -hwylc m ay be on an erasure at the start ofthe line.
3 6 21 omoe : MS . m ay be on an erasure at the start ofthe line

363] geFazUnige : so MS . L GS.; Herren gefaesinie.

3 65 1 8a : so MS. L GS.; Herren ba.
3 6 5] 8a sveartan weavd : MS. in slightly smaller letters, but same hand.
3 66 ] tenor : MS . on erasu re, inclu di ng erasure of an earlier t; -i- corrected from e by erasure an d overwriting; ti mperfectly formed - i t m ay i ncorporate part ofan otherwise erased letter.

3 66 1 trerrnor : MS. above line on caret mark and preceded by a + sign; -r is round.
36 8 ] inpanetra bi le : so MS., bu t a later ha nd - possibly John Joscelyn 's - alters -e to -i with a joint ink stroke, places
a ca ret mark beside i t and a sign perhaps approxi m ati ng to an i above it ; GS. H erren inpzn etrabili; the whole word is
in darker ink.

3 69 ] aeghwanan : so MS . LGS.; Herren aeghwmen; MS . -o- correcte dfrom w by erasure.

370 ] undique : GS. note MS. "with q by same hand upon illegible erasure".
3701 : fol. 153v begi ns.
370 ] potentie tee : so MS.; GS . emend potentia.
372 ] Mea : so MS.; GS . emend mee.

200

30

gesundu(m ) plegscylde gescyldundum aura gehwylc

tuts pelts protege nte singula,
p( wl)Ie nabs 0a sweartan deoblu in mime sidan

ut non tetri demones in latera

375
leligen swa swa gewuniab scylas flanas

mea liberantur, ut Solent, iacula;

Pone kn o ll da heafodpannan mid ern loo m (m) and eagan

gigran, chephalem cum iaris, et conas,

ondwleotan tungan tea 0a nesbJTPlu

380

patham, liganam, sennas atque michinas,

sw iran hryncg sidan lendenu

35

cladum, crassu(m), madianum, talias

8yoh micgemu and Oa twa hoods

bathma, exugiam, adque b[i]n[a]s idumas.

385

minum puce rnia gescyidrum hnecem

Meo ergo cum scapulis uertice
helm halo beo bo westo heafde
/gales salutis esto capite,
390
heafolan ea gum and exon ire 3ryfealdan
fronte, oculis, et cerebro triforme,

373]
3 7 5]
375]
3 76 1
3 7 8]

gesundu ( m) : h LS . -d- is i mperfec t resem bling a b.

as : so MS.L GS .; Herren Pa .
mime : so MS. L ; GS . emend min e.
tetri : MS . -e- i n darker i nk and second -t- overwriti ng an existing ascender.
l i berantur : so MS .; GS . emend librent

378 ] Solent : so MS .; GS . emend soleant.

3 79] 8a heofodpmwan : so MS.LGS.; Herren heofa dpannan.
380 1 gi gran
so MS ., but poorly formed; G S , em end gigam ; MS. m arginal comment by John Joscelyn,
oorruplissima .
3 80 ] chephal em : so M S .; G S . em end cephal en .
38 11 ted : so M S. L ; G S. emend te217.
3811 nwspyr [I]u : so G S em end; M S . nwsbyrl lu (divided by lin e-end).
382] l iganam : MS . in terli near gloss by John Joscelyn, lin guam.
3 8 5] micgemu : so MS . L; G S . em end micgeman.
3 86 ] b [i ]n[a] s: so G S . em end; M . bonis.
387] hn eocan : MS . ^vith man on run-over.
3 8 8] scapulis : so MS.; GS . emend cap illis.
3 88 uerti ce : MS . wi th dice on run -over.
3 90 ] / : fo l . 154r begi ns.

3 9 1] heafolan : so MS. L ; GS . emend hneofolan.

39 1 and : so MS. LGS .; om . Herren.
3 92] frcxAa : Thisform is not recorded by Herren.

201

nebbe weolure onseone dunw on gan

ao

rostro, labie, facie, timpore,

crone bearde oferbruum earum

395

mento, barbe, superciliis, aurib(us),

heagospirmu(m) smeru(m) betwin beam =stgrislan
gems, buccis, intemasso, narib(us),
sedum eahrin gu(m) brwwum bruum

pupillis, rotis, palpebris, tautonibus,

400

to8reoman oro0e cm [ c] um cinbanu(m) and geoman

[g]i[n]g[i]s, anile, maxillis et faucibus,

tobum tungan mute hrwdungan hracan

45
405

dentibus, lingua, ore, ubae, guttore,

protbollan 7 undeftungeft(m) swim

guguilione et sublingue ceruice,

by heafodlocan bmgme gristlan
capitali ceotro, cartilagine;
swvan artasc xtbeo au geccylane=

410

/collo Clemens adesto tutamine.

after bon bed du me byme seo gehealdfasYesbe
Deinde esto mihi lurica tutissima,

394) mstm : MS . -s- alteredfrom low to long form fog -A- ligature.
3941 timpore : MS . John Josce lyn inserts - ibus above the -e and also the le tter e (I think) above the -i- on a caret
mark (i . e. temporibus) .
3971 heagospinnu(m) : so MS .; GS , emend and misprint heagospmdum
397] betwin : so MS . LGS .; om . Herren .

397] nsstgrislan : so hiS . L ; GS . emend neesgistlan .

3981 intemasso : so MS.; GS . emend intemaso.
399] sedum : so MS . L ; GS emend seonum; MS . an erasure between sedum and eahrmgum
4011 cee[cium : MS . cum; GS . emend ceacum.

401] and : so MS . LGS .; om. Herren.

401 ] geoman : so hLS ; GS . emend goman (Herren does not i ndicate the emendation).
402] (8ji[n)g[i]s : rLS . iguis ; GS . emend ginguis.
402] maxilli s el : so MS .; GS. purposefully omit eL
404] guttore : MS . gu- is alteredfrom a.
405] brotbollan : so LGS .; MS . Herrcn Prot bollan .
405] 7 : so MS . LGS .; om. Herren .
406] guguili one : so MS , but with a tiny r added above line on caret mark between the first -u- and the second -g-,
probably in John JosceJyn 's hand; GS em end gurgulione.

407] py : so MS. LGS.; om. Herren.

4071 gristlan : MS . wi th -Ian on run-over.

4081 oedro : bLS. glossed cerebro below by John Joscelyn.

408] cartilagine : MS . with -lagme on run-over.
410] : fol. 154v begins.
411] gehealdfwsiesde : so MS . LGS .; Herren gehealdfaeste .
4121 ego mihi : so MS .; GS . pttrposefttlJy omit mihi

202

ytnb mine innodas ymb min leomu

5o

erga uiscera mea, erga membra mea,

b( mtXe bu ascufe fro(m ) mec as un gesewenlipn

415

ut retundas a me inuisibilis
[sl]egp naeglas 3a fwsln ia8 labweridnesse
sedum clabos quos fingunt odibiles.
gescyld so6 lioe [glod stron ge bym an

Tege er[g]o D(eu)s forte lurica

420
mid gescyldru(m) ease and earmas

cum scapulis humeros et brachia;

55

gemundbyrd elne mid pan elnbogan 7 hondum

tege ulnas cum cubiis et manibus,
fyste folme fmgras mid paetn neegJum

pugnos palmos digitos cum ungibus;

425

gescy ld pon e hrnigc 7 ba ribb mi d 6mn li8wn

tege spinam et costas cum artibus,

bwc hrin gc 7 da sionw e mid gy(m) banu(m)

terga / dorsum neruosq(ue) cum ossib(us);

430

gescyld 3a hyd blod mid Oa!(m) aedrv(m)

tege cutem sanguinem cum renib(us),

bo

0a hypban da eaiseida mid deem peohscanw(m)

catacrinas Hates cum femoribus;

4 1 3 ] ymb min e vmoaas ymb mm leomu : so AILS .; GS . emend ymb min l eomu ymb mine inno0as (see following n.).
414] ergo u isoera mea, ergo membra mea : so MS.; GS . em end erga membra ergo mea uiscera .
4 15 1 mec : so MS .; GS . em end me (H erren does not i ndica te th e emendation).
41 6 ] retun das : so bLS .; G S . em end reUudas.
41 7 1 [sl] ega ; so GS emend, MS. brega wi th the descender of-t- broken into two strokes.
4 171 8a : so MS.LGS; am. Herren .

41 7 1 la8w endnesce : so MS . L; GS. emend 8a labwendan.

41 8]
41 9 ]
41 9 ]
42 0 ]
42 0
42 0]

fin gtmt : MS . -g- has a diagonal line th rough it - perhaps John Joscelyn 's work again.
gescyl d : MS. -s- (round) is alteredfrom c
[ good : so G S . em end hiS . od, n oting that "the first letter is over an erasure and is ill egible".
Tege : MS . tegescyld; GS . also pu rposefully om it the scribal error scyl d
er [g]o: so G S . emend; MS. erto.
foAe : so hiS.; GS . emend fortis.

4221 aim seapulis : MS. -um s- may be on an erasure.

423] mid ban : so MS. LGS .; om. Herren.
424] wbiis : so MS ., b ut with a very small t - possibly John Joscelyn's - above the li ne on a ^ shaped caret mark
beween the two is ; G S . emen d cub is.

426] palmos : so MS.; GS. emend Palmas.

42 7 17 : so MS. LGS .; om. Herren.
430 1

: fol . 1 5 5r begi ns.

43 11 jm^m ) : so MS. L ; GS Seem

434] ait4ainn s : so MS.; GS. emend cata a ines.

203

435

gescyld hom[m]e scotliran 3a peohgeweald

tege cambos surras femoralia
mid Pic(m) peohweorfan ba hweorfan 7 3a rneo
cum genuclis polites et genus;
gemyndbyrd telgan efenwexende tyre
tege ramos concrescentes decies,

440

mid gym) taum nie glas tw i gs fife

cu(m) mentagris urges biros quinquies;

65
445

gescyld da healan mid gy(m) sceonu(m) (o8bo) sconcu(m) 7 sponun

tege talas cum tibiis et calcibus,
sceoncan l et pars ila mid gy(m) s1ePu(m) (o66o) gon gu(m)
aura pedes plantaru(m) cum bassibus;
gescyld breost bearnnvind breostban

tege pectus / iugulam pectusculum,

tittas 86O sp01 e" magan 7 po ne neabulan

4 50

mantillas stomachum et umbilicum;

gescyld 0a wombe ba lyndaw ba aca;uiaidl ican lyomu

tege uentrem lumbos genetalia,

7 hrif 7 6wr+e heortan ba l iflican

70

43 5 ]
43 5 ]
43 6 ]
43 8]

et aluum et Gordis uitalia;

han[ml e : so G S . em end h omme (Herren does n o t indicate em en dation ); MS. L hoame.

8a : so MS . L G S .; om. H emp .
cambos : so MS .; G S . eme nd cambas; Herren gambos.
pol ices : so hiS .; GS . emend poplites.

43 9 1 gemyndhyrd : so MS. L ; GS . gemundbyrd

442] tin ges : so NiS.; GS . emend ungues.
44316a h ealan : so MS .L; GS . em end 8a hielaa; Herten h elan .
443] (oJDo) : MS . crossed I a bb reviation.
44317 : so MS . LGS .; om. H erren .
444] ta l es : so MS.; GS . emend tnlos.
44 5 ] (a7 )o) : hlS . crossed I abbreviatio n.
446 1 pl antaru( m) : GS . un usually note the Lat. -m abbreviation,
448] : fol . 1 5 5 v begi ns.
449 ] o 36o : so MS.; GS . em end o68on.
44 9 17 : so MS . LGS .; om. Herttn .
4 5 1 ] ly
: so MS. L ; GS. em end l endenu.
45l ] acmm ai dlican : MS . -&- correctedfrom a.
4 5 3] 7 ire h eortan pa litl ican : MS. after these words the scribe repeats himsetjxath 7 ba lyflican h eortan - GS . also
om it is "careless scribal repetition ".

204

455

gcscyld ba briofealdan li[t]re rysele

tege trifidu(m) iacor et ilia,

sweotan 7 burse lundlagmn snxdel^earm mid baere nettan
marsem reniculos fithrem cum obligia;
gescyld readan feleferb mid byre lungene
tege toliam toracem cum pulmone,

460

wire smaelbeatmas geallan mid py hyoAh oman

uenas fifras fel cum buclimiamni;

gescyld b(eet) flwsc (odbo) lidianan as stare mid gy(m) mergum

75
465

tege / carnem inguinam cum medulis,

^one mi lte mid pw(m ) gebaegdum eosenu(m) 7 roppu(m)

splenum cum totuosis intestinis;

gescyl d bleedran ge lynd and all e

tege uisicam adipem et pantas

hara gefoga pa unarimdan wndebyrdnesse
470

conpagnu(m) innumeros ordines;

gescyld her 7 pa ogre leomu

tege pi[1]os adque membra reliq[u]a

455 briofealdan : MS . -den on a run-over.

455] li[t]re : NIS . libfre with f above line on caret mark; the scribe omits to cancel the -b-; GS . print L'bre, and add 7
after it without comment, though there is enough space for it in MS.
456] MS . -dan erased in margin at start ofGne before iamr (cf. I. 455 priofealdan) .
4561 iaoor : so MS . ; GS . emend ieoor.
456) ilia : MS . the first i- is capped by a separate fork-shaped hat - the scribe probabl}, anticipated the following 4) .
4581 obligia : so hiS . ; GS . obligio .
4591 ire lungene : so MS . LGS . ; Herren hmgame.
4611 edre : so MS . LGS . ; Herres edran .

4621 fifras : so hiS .; GS . emend fibres.

462]
4631
463]
4641
464]
4641
465]
466]
467]

: MS . budimi amnia GS . emend bucliamini .

(oNJo) : NIS . crossed I abbreviation.
pa(m) mergum : Herrin misprints poem mergum.
: fol. 156r begins.
inguinam : so AiS . ; GS . emend mguinc:m (and are tempted to emend inguinurp) .
medulis : so MS. ; GS. emend medullis.
eosenu(m) : GS . misprint eosenunL
tduosis : MS totu Dais (divided by line-end) ; GS emend tortuosis .
blwdran : so MS . LGS . ; Herren 8a blaedran .

4671 she : MS . irregular -e - possibly influenced by Caroline minuscule.

4681 uisicam : so T4S.; GS . emend uesicam
4681 admen : MS . "oe" tjpe a, possibly deriving from exemplar.
469] unarimdnn : MS . u- possibly on erasure.
4701 oompagnu(m) : so MS . ; GS . emend (unusuall} , noting -m abbreviation) conpaginum; Herren cornpaginurm
47117 : MS . faint.
472] pi[IJos : so GS . emend, MS . pielos.
4721 r e liy[u]a : NIS . reliq(ui)a ; GS. reliqua.

205

go

bra awes wen is is biferde (oMo) forleort noman

quorum forte preteribi nomina;
gesc;yld aloe mec mid fif ondgedum

475

tege totem me cum [quin]que sensibus,

7 mid ten durum smiae geworfitum
et cum X foribus fabrefactis,
b(ctXe fro(m) ^wm hwlu(m) ob 6= heafdes heannesse
ut a plantis usque ad uertice[m]

480
amngum time minuet utan ;iman is geuntrumige

/nullo membro meo forts intus egrotem,

bylees of minu(m) merge lif aswfan

gs
485

ne de meo posit uitam trudere

wo l[v ]es ece adl sat lich oman

pestis, languor, dolor corpore,

wr
soplice gods syllendu(m) is gealdige
donee [ijam Deo dente seneam
7 mine synne mid godu(m) is adilgie
et peccata mea bonis deleam,

490

p( stZe of lichoman utgeongende 8eosu(m) neolu(m) is bolige (0030) is merge ge^olian

ut de carne iens imis caream
7 to Ow(m) hears gefligan (obdo) geferan is merge

9o

et ad alts euolare ualeam,

4 731 (o88o) : MS . crossed I abbreviatio n.

474] pretenbi : so r1S .L ; GS . prwteribi ; Herren pra eteribi.

4 75 ]
476 1
477
4 78
4 80 1
4 80 1
4 8 21
482 ]
48 4

mec : M S . mec n oman (with th is superflu ou s noman bracketed off between two dots above mec displaci ng mec}
cum [ qu m]qu e : so G S . em end' MS. antique.
durum smicre gew oditum : so hLS .; L,.G S . transpose smicre gewmfitum denim (cf, following note).
foribus fabrefactis : so MS.; GS, i nvert fabrefadis foribus.
usyu e : MS. -s- corrected from q.
u eRioel m] : so GS . emend' MS ucatice.
: fol . 1 56v begins.
membro meo : so MS.; GS. em end membro.
posit ; so MS.; G S . em en d posit.

485 1 wol[v] es : so GS . emend (Herren does not indicate the emendation); MS. L woles; GS . supply fefor after this
word (see jollowrng note).
48 6 ]
4 87
4 88
49 1)
491 1
493
49 3 ]

pesos : G S . supply febris after th is word.

soblice : so MS. L ; G S . so8l ice.
[i ]am : so GS . emend; MS . nam.
n eolum : so M S. L.G S .; H erren n eoum.
(ockb) : MS , crossed I abbreviatio n.
gy( m) : so MS .; G S . mispri nt abbreviatio n fem.
(o(kSo) : M S , crossed l abbreviatio n.

206

495

7 gemil sigendum gode to bu(m) readorli cu (m)

et miserto Deo ad ethers

bli 8e is sy gewegen vices coeln esse so0lice

letus uehar / regni refrigeria.

Amen.

[LXVI] Wi8 faerlicre adle: sie clufehte wenwyrt, clate, bisceopwyrt, final, raudic; wyl in
500

eala8; syle drincan.

[LXVII] Wig l xndenvryrce: finolsaed, betonican leaf grene, acrimonian nyobewearde; grid
to duster wes mid geswettan eala8; gewlece; syle hat drincan in stalle; stonde gode hwile.

[LXVIIIj Wib peore: genim cwicrinde 7 aescrinde 7 berehalm; wel in waetere; genim
alomalt mid by waetere; gebreow mid gryt cumb /fume eala8 mid by weere; geclxnsa;
505

bonne It standan ane niht gesweted mid hunige; drince nygon morgenas 7 ete secgleac 7
cropleac 7 cymen tosomne 7 nTnigne operne waetan ne dige.

ILXIX] Gif aeor sy in men: wyrc draenc; nim pas wyrte nyopowearde: final 7 bisceopwyrt,
aesc3rote, ealra efenmicel; pyssa twigs mist ufonwearde: rudan 7 betonican; ofgeot mid III
maedrum ealoa, 7 gesinge III miessan ofer, drince ymbe taa niht / pis be by ofgoten sie;
510

syle drincan aer his mete 7 aefter.

495] pae(m) : so MS. LGS.; Heffen bam

4961 ethers : so MS .; GS . emend etheria .
498 : fol . 157 beg ins.
499]
5011
502]
503]
5041

WiO : NiS . W- is a decorated inital wynn, three lines deep and partly in inner margin.
Wig : MS . W- is a decorated initial wynn, three lines deep and partly in inner margin.
stalle : MS . -e- correctedfrom o by addition ofa tail stroke.
Wi8 : hiS . W- is a decorated initial wynn, three li nes deep and partly in inner margin.
gebreow : MS . -o- above line on caret mark

504] : fol . 157v begins.

505] gesweted : MS . the scribe at fi rst wrote gevesed then added an -s- above the wymr on a caret mark b efore
erasing the original s and overwriting a crude t-.
5071 Gif : MS . G- is a slightly ornamented capi tal, three lines deep in outer margin.
5081 twigs : so MS . C , L; GS . emend twega .

509) : fol. i58rbegins.

509] sie : so MS . C. L ; GS . emend sien .

207

[LXX] Draenc wib beore: nim bas wyrte neobowearde: ceasterTsc, ontre neodoweart; bas
ufonwearde:

betonican,

rude,

wermod,

acremonia,

felterre,

wudupistel,

feferfuge,

xpelferdingcwyrt; ofgcot mid ealad; Ixt stondan ane niht; drince VIIII morgenas lytie
bollan fulle swibe aer 7 ete sealtne mete 7 nowiht fersces.

515

[LXXI] Wyrc 6eordraenc godne: genim wermod 7 boden, acrimonian, pollegan, ba smalan
wenwyrt, / feltere, aegwyrt, byorwyrt, ceasteraxsan twa snada, eofolan prep snada,
cammuces IIII, wuduweaxan godne del, 7 curmeallan; gescearfa 8a wyrta in god hluttor
Bala (oDc)e) in god wylisc Bala; laet standan III niht bewrogen; syle drincan scxnc fiilne tide
ar obrum mete.

520

[LXXII] Wib peore 7 wi0 sceotendu(m) wenne: genim boaen 7 gearwan 7 ,%eoduR*ea:-w;an 7
hraefnes fot; do in god Bala; syle drincan on daege III draenceas.

[LXXIII] Gif aeor sy gewunad in anre / stowwe : wyrc gode bedingce, g ellni(m) ifig be on
stare wya:d on eorpan, 7 gearwan 7 wudubindan leaf 7 cushppan 7 amashTpxin- g(e)cnuca
by ealle swide wel ; lege on hatne star in troge; do hwon nwteres in: lit rein on b(wt) lic
525

swa him aearf sy oaawr col sy ; do opeme hatne star in; bee gelome: sore hi(m) fib seL

511 ] Dramc : D- is a decorated initial, three lines deep and partly inner margin.
511 ] artre neoaoweart : so MS .; C . L ontr+e n eoaoweard; ; GS . omit nev c?oRZUt (minch they too misread as
neodoweard), considering it to be the result ofscnbal chttography.
5131 ecpz lfzrSmgcwyrt : so LGS .; MS . &-pel fertlingcwyrt; C . ajv-tfzrbmgocYtt
515] Wymc :NiS . W- is a decorated initial wynn, three lines deep and parB} in inner margin.
5151 aaimonian : L wrongly places the fol. dnnsion after thi s word.

516] : fol. 158v begins.

5161 oeastera xsan : so MS. oeasta axcan divided by line-end; so L . C. GS, emend asst
51711111 : so MS.; LGS. N.
318] (oabe) : MS . C . crossed I abbreviation .
5201 Wia : MS . W- is a decorated initial wynn, three lines deep and partly in outer margi n.
521 ] in : MS . acute top- stroke to i-.
522] Gif : MS . G- is a capital, two lines deep in outer margin.
5221 / : fol . 159r begins .

523] 7 (th i rd) : so MS . C.GS .; om . L

523] oxsanslyPpan : so C ; MS. oxsao slyppan ; LGS . oxan shppan .
5241 V iet) : so MS . ; GS . misprint expansion peat.

208

[LXXIV] Wig 8eore: ealhtre, waelwyrt, weoduweaxe, mscrind in eorpaq cneowholen,

wermod se hara, rxdic, cea steraesc, lytel sauinan.

[LXXV] / Gif se uic weor8e on mannes setle geseten: pon(ne) nim bu clatan moran, pa
greatan, III obde 1111, 7 beret by on hate wmergean; 7 ateoh pon(ne) 8a ane of ban heor6e 7
530

cnuca 7 wyrc swylc[e] an lytel cicel, 7 lege to paem setle swa 3u hatost forberan maege;
pon(ne) se cicel colige, pon(ne) wyrc pu ma 71ege to, 7 beo on stilnesse dig We twegen;
pon(ne) pu pis do - hit is afandad l,,ececrxft - ne delfe by nan man pa moran mid isene, 7
mid wxtere ne pwea, / ac strive by mid clabe cline; 7 do swipe pynne c1a8 betweonan b(wt)
sed 7 bone cicel.

526] Wib : MS . W- is a decorated initial xynn, two lines deep and partly in inner margin.
528] : fol . 159v begins.

528] Gif : MS. G- a capital, three lines deep in outer margin.

528] uic : MS. acute top-stroke to -i-, and glossed uich above line in faded thirteenth -century hand
530] svylc[e] : so GS . emend; MS .C. L swyla
530]
530]
5331
533]
533]

an : MS . accent sign over a-.

cioel : MS . glossed (9)ircel above line in faded thirteenth-century hand.
: fol . 160r begins .
b ynne : MS . -e is imperfectly formed.
V iet) : GS , misprint abbreviation peat.

209

535

44 "Gemyne 8u, Mucgwyrt,

JLxxVI]

hwWt pu renadest

aet Regenmelde.

Una pu hattest,

yldost wyrta ;

6u miht wi8 III

7 wig XX7{,

pu miht wip attre

7 wi8 onflyge,

pu miht wib pa[m] lapan

540

+ Ond pu, Wegbrade,

eastan op[e]ne,

io

8e geond loud fxr0 .

wyrta modor,

finnan mihtigu;

ofer by crate Curran,

545

hwxt VU ameldodest,

ofer by cwene reodan,

ofer by bryde bryo- / dedon,

eallum pu bon widstode

ofer by fearras fnxrdon:

7 wi6stunedest.

5 3 5 ] Entry LLM: The so-called 'Nine Herbs Charm ".Note th a t in view ofL 5 4 1 Ong L 563 mdan and L 602 md,
G S edgefi e ld ASPR 's expansion and for th e Ti ronian n o ta 7 through out this entry i s prob oblJ erron eous; R 'ul cker
[1 882 ] W O S expand an d
Hoops h as b for d always.
Lmrs 535 -97 om L.
535144 : N iS . th e i n clu sio n and placi ng of th is cross here is conjectural - :B LS . has a large faded cross (ofpatee
t)pe) in th e outer m a rg in to th e ng ht of and slig htly a bove th is entry; it is qu i te distinct in form from the other
crosses i n th is e ntry, is drawn in different ink, and is of uncertai n date; note that S . i s po tentially m isleadi ng i n this
regard, si nce h e represents eac h ojthe su bseq u e nt crosses wi th a cross pa tee 1i ; all crosses one ASPR
53 5 1 CKmyn e : G- is a capital, two lines deep i n i nner ma rgin.
53 5 1 riuLgwyrt : so hfS . C .VI'O . GS .; G . mu cgyR.
5381 bu miht wi0 III 7 wi 3 \'\' X : so rIS . C AL'il . GS .; Ho hhauszn [1 9 34] emends bu mkt wi8 III(um) and wi3
\X\(um ), and sugges ts supplyi ng h e lpan ; S. misreads fast X78 as %c ib.

53 9 ] ip ^irs U : so N IS C . R A GS .; G.Sedgefiel d. Hohhausan [19 3 4] wi8.

5401 ba l m] : so Hoops.G.Ho hhausen [ 1934].ASPR emend dun; hiS.C.V1'u.S.GS. pa; Sedgefield pain.
540 1 feerb: so A iS.C.V1'Q.ASPR.S.; Gr. Hoith ausen [193 4] emend feereO; GS. emend fere3.
541 ] + : tits . cross in i nn er m a rg in , sa m e h an d as text.
5411 ,^Tta : so N IS C. w'Q.GS.; S . wurta .
5421 opi e Jn e so Stuart em ends; %iS . C . opone; Wt1. G . H o lthausai [1934] .ASPRS . GS . em end opeao; S edgefi eld
apato.

543 1 b) (twice): so T4S.C.Stuurt; V1'O.G.Hohhaus en [1934].ASPR.S.GS. emend oe; Sedgefield be.

543] a te : so hi S.C.S.Stua rt ; V1'tl . H o hhausen [1934].ASPR.GS. emend awtu ; G. emen ds crwto; Sedgefield coo.
5 44 1 : fo l . 1 6 0v begi ns.

544 1 bryodedon : so A1S.C.WD.GS.; Holthausen [1934] emends briodedon.

5 431 by : so N i S.C. Stu azt; Vl'tI .G. H ohhausen [193 4 ].AS PR.S.GS. emend 0e; Sedgefield be.
544] py : so X i S.C.; WO.G.Ho hha uscm [1 934].ASPR.GS. emend } e; Sedgefield be; S . misreads and emends be.
544] fiardm : A1S . fr eer don (divided by lin e-e n d) wi th th e fi nal stroke of-r- exaggerated.
5 45 ] b in : so MSC.W8 .G.Sedgefield Ho hh o usen [1 9 3 4].ASPR.S.Stuaft; GS. emend game and note r iS. bon "with a
do t a bove li f e th e b egi nn i ng of a -ti e co ntra ctio n ", b ut th e m ark in q u estion is a s h ow-thro ug h of dotted y on th e
rec to.
545] 7 wi clstunedzst : so hfS . C . W&GS .; H o lthausen [1 9 34] emen ds 7 wit5stun edest a .

210

Swa bu wi8stonde attre

7 pie(m) Wan

7 onflyge

De geond lond fereb .

Stune haette pens wyrt,

15

stond heo wib attre,

Sti6e heo hatte,

heo on stane geweox;

stunab heo wxrce.

wifttunab heo attre,

550
wreceb heo wraban,
+ Isis is sea wyrt

weorped ut attor.
seo wip wyrm gefeaht;

pens mpg wig attre,

20

heo mxg wib onflyge,

heo mpg wib 6a[m] laban

Fleoh pu nu Attorla8e

555

25

seo 1,T-sse ba maran,

seo mare pa lxssan,

o3bxt him beigra bat sy.

Gemyne Vu, Mxgbe,

hwaet pu ameldodest,

hwxt 3u geaendadest

xt Alorforda,

p(act) nxfre for gefloge

syp3an him mon MxgBan

560

be geond / lond ferep -

feorh ne gesealde
to mete gmTe de_

546] mllyge : so MS .C. WQ.GS.; Holthausen [193 4] mdflygz.

54 7] 7 he( m ) la den : so hiS.C. R'B .GS .; H o hhausen [1 9 33) emends and pmm IaJsn zac
5 47] ^e : so MS.C. WQ.G S .; S . 0e; C . places me tri cal divisio n after this w ord
348] Stone : so MS (bu t without capital s).AS PR.S .G S .Ma goun [1 93 7a] .SdaR; so too R'a. who adds "ode r sn ore"; C.
slime, bu t i n a footn ote remarks "this word may also be read shune; G. reworks "\SS , illegb le, stone or strme";
S edgefie ld Stime; H o tthausen [ 1 934] Slim e (appare ntly a mistake for stime),

54 8] hectic : so MS.C. R70. G. Hohhausai [2 934].AS PRS .StuaR; SedgefieldGS. emeffdhatte.

549 1
54 9]
5521
5 5 2]

stmd : so A iS .C. Wo . G .AS PR. S . Stuart; Sedgefiel d. GS . emend stmde6; Hohhausen [1934] stoat
stuna 0 heo wwroe : so MS.C.WQ .G S .; Sedgefield emends shma 8 heo wia wamx-+: MS . cross m i d-li ne between altar and pis.
seo : so MS. WQ .GS.; Hoops sio.

5 5 41
5 5 4]
55 41
5 56]
5 5 81

8a[m] : so Hoops. G. Hohhausan [1 934] .AS PR. emend; A iS .C. ti 'i1 . S.GS. Stuart (Na ; Sedgefield Sam.
: fol . 1 6 1r begi ns.
ferep : so MS.C. WO.G. Hohhau sen [1 934] .ASPR. S . Stuart; Sedgefield fere8; GS. emend fc:rap.
beigra : so MS.C.WQ.GS.; purposefully om . Hotth ausan [1 93 4] .
geandadzst : so MS. C. Wil .; Bradley [1 904] .GS. gewridodcst

559] b( wt ) nieGe for gefl oge feorh ne gesealde : so MS.C. WQ .GS .; H olthausen [1 934] emends bal for gefloge nmm ig
feorft ne gesea l de.

211

8e Wergulu hatter

Isis is seo wyrt

ofer sus hrygc,

bas onsaende seolh

ogres to tote.

ondan attres
30

has VIIII ongan

wi0 nygon attrum.

+ Wyrm com / snican,

565

Da genam Woden
sloh ba pa nxddran
Dxr gea:ndade
35

561]
36 1 ]
5 611
5 6 2]
5 6 2]
5 6 21

toslat lie- na-n.

VIHI wuldortanas,
*^heo on VIIII tofleah.

)Eppel 7 attor

p(xt) heo naefre ne wolde

on hus bugan.

his is seo w}Tt : so MS.C.WQ .G S .; H o hh ausen [1 95 1] proposes pis seo wyR is.
be : C . places m etrical divisio n after this word.
Wergulu : so MS(but without initial capital wynn ).C.; Hohh ausen [1 93 4] (also 1951v wergula .
aas : so MS. C . WQ .GS .; S . Pas.
sss : so h IS.C. WO.GS.: H olthausa^ [1 9 34] emends sees.
hrygc : so MS C. Wa_ GS .; Hohhausai [1 9 34] emends hrycg.

563] mdan : so C.WQ .GS.; MS. and an; Hohhausen [1 93 4] emends andgan.
5 6 3] ondan attres ogres to bate : so MS (with a slight space between ai d- and -an - see above) C. Wu .GS.; Stuart and
an aUres ogres to bote; after bole H o lth ausen [1 934 ] places em ended versions of LL 575-8, followed by U. 570- 4, and
1.564 : Stari heo wi3 wwroe, sum se8h eo w i3 attne, sea meeg wi b IIIum and wi 3 XXYum, wig feondes h oed and wi b
fear-bregde, wi8 malsrnro ge manta w ihta . - Fi l e and Emo te, fet e-mihtiga twa, pa wyrte gesoeop wing
, II
hal i g an h eofonuurt, ba h e h on gode, setae and suede on VII worul de I earmum and eadigiun eallum to bole. 11 Des
V1II I ma gon wi b nygon atUum ; after bole S . places em ended versions of 1L 575-8, followed by IL 568-9, 11. 570-4,
and 11. 564-7: Stan d h eo w a d weeroe, shma 0 h eo w i8 attre, seo a wg wi8 III and wi8 X-XY, w i0 feondes bond and
w a d frea -bregde, wib malsrnm ge manta w 1ta . Der gewnda de eeppel and attor p eat heo nofre ne wolde on bus
burn . X Fill e and finul e, fete nuhtigu tw a . I Da wyrte gesceop wing d rihtea, halig on h eofonum ba he hon godz; 11
setae and suede an VII woru lde eartnum and ea di gum eall um to bote. 11 Pas nigon magna wib nigon
m 11 WYE
nom snican, instal h e nao . pa genam WodenVIIII wuldortanas, sl ob 8a pa n
pmt hen m Vffi tofleah.
564 ] Des : so MS.C. WQ .G S .; S . pas.
5 64 VII II: so C . W& G S .; S . ni gon .
5 6 4 ] or gan : so MS .C. R'o . G .GS .; WUldcer [1882] on gan; H o hh ausen [1 92 0b](also [1 93 4 v.ASPRS . emend wagon ;
Stuart em ends m gunn on (which was also suggested earlier byHolthause n [1 9 2 0b]).

564] nygon : so MS .C.WQ.GS.; G. Sedgefield.S. nigaa.

5 65 ] +: MS.: cross mid-line between attrum andwymL
5 6 5] : fol. 161 v begins.
5 65 ] nan : so MS. S.G S .Stuazt; C. nan (bu t remarks "read man"); WO.G. Hohhausen [1 934] .ASPR emend man.
5 66] Da : so MS.C. WQ.G S.; S . Pa.
5671 ba pa : so MS. C. WQ.GS.; Hoh6ausen [ 1 934] he pa.
567] on : MS. -n above li ne on caret mark
568 ] gewn da de : so C.WQ.; MS. ge ean dede (divided by line end); GS. geaendode.
5 6 817 : so MS.C.UVB.; G. em en ds th is li ne suer geanda de Appel naedran attor.
56 8 ] Wit. th i nks a li ne is m issi ng after this one (Hoops.Bradley [1 90 4] disagree).
5 6 8-9] C. places m e trical divisio ns after Appel and nwfre.
5 69 ] Vwt ): G S . m ispri nt abbreviatio n .
5 69] C . divides li ne after nmfre.

5 69 ] b(at) hen ... began : so MS .C. Wil .GS.; Holth ausen [ 1 920b] suggests replaci ng bus with nest; Holthausen [ 1934)
emends jxd hen nwfre ne wolden nan bus be gan.

212

570

+ Fille 7 Finule,

felamihtigu twa :

pa wyrte gesceop

witig Drihten,

halig on heofonu(m),
Bette 7 saende
40

pa he hongode;

on VII worulde

/ earmum 7 eadigum

eallu(m) to tote.

575
Stond heo wO wxrce,
seo mpg wib III
wi8 feondes hond
wib malscrunge
45

580

stuna3 heo wi8 attre,

7 wig XXX,
7 [w]i3 freab[r]egde,
minra wihta.

+ Nu magon pas VIE[[ wyrta

wia VIIII attrum

wia nygon Ruldorgeflagenum,

7 wi3 nygon onflognum:

Rib by readan attre,

wib 8a runlan attre,

wib by hwitan attre,

wig by wedenan attre,

570 ] fe lartuffiti gu : so Sedgefie ld.ASPR; MS . fela mffitigu (drvided by li ne-end), so C . WtLS .GS .; Hohhausen [1 9 34]
fel a -milrtiga
5 731 sette : C . places metncal division after this word.
5 74] : fol . 1 6 2r beg in s.
5 75 ] Stond : so biS.C. WU . G .AS PR S.Stuart; S edgefield emends stondep ; GS. emend stondea; Holtha usen [ 1 934]
stmt
5 75 1 sGma 3 : so C. WQ .G S .; MS. Btu nab (divided by h ire-en d); Ho lthausen [1 9 34] stunic3.
5 76 seo mpg wib II I 7 w i8 }L17{ : so MS.C.WB.GS .; Holth ausen [1 934] emends seo IDep, wi3 IIIum and wi8
577] w id feandes hind, 7 [w]i8 freab[r]egde : so Gr.GS, emend, MS.C.Hoops wO feaades hoed 7 wid pees h and wiO
free begde (&ea begde divided by G n e-end), C. rem arks " 7 wid Pws hand sh ould, it seems, be erased" ; WtL em ends
wi $ feandes h and and wid pees fa gan hind, s s . s * * wi8 &-ea begde; Bra dley [ 190 4] emends wi0 feondes hoed and
wib pees feerbnegde; G .Sedgefi eld AS PR em end wib feandes h ead I and wi8 fx rrbregde; S . emends wi8 femdes b ond
and w i 8 Gee -bregde; H otthausen[1 905 ] em e n ds wip feondes hrnd l rnd wip pas fagan (or frecnan) bond, grip free
begde; Horihausm [1918] em ends w ip feondes b ond and w ip pis f
an (or fawn) bond n wi^ frea-begde, b ut
H o hhausen [ 19 2 0 b] would em end wO feondes bond I and wi8 fir-bregde; similarly Hohhausea [19 34] emends wi3
feondes hand and wO feertmegde.
5 7 8] minia : so M S. C . Wil .G. S .G S .: Bradley [ 1904] emends mama, and so Holthausen [ 193 4 ] .Sedgefiel d ASPR.;
H o lth ausen [1 905 ] suggests mircra .
579 1 +: MS .: cross m id-li ne between wffita and nu .
579 -97] C. WO, pn nt these lines as prose.

5 80] mtl ogium : MS. anflygnum with -1- above line, no caret mark, and an o above the line and to the right ofthe y
in the same hand - whence perhaps (?)onflyognum, if not as I propose onflogium (the o has not previously been
noted, and previous edi tors read onflygnum).

S81] 0a : so MS.; so C. (but remarks "read dy probably"; WO.G. Holthausen [1 934].ASPRS.GS. emend 3y; Sedgefie ld
()Y5 8 1 1 runl an : so MS .C.WQ.GS.; S edgefield emends rudlan .
5 8 21 by (seco n d) : so MS .WQ .GS.; C. dy.

Sgt ] wedai an : so MS.C.WO.G. SedgefieldAS PR.Stuart; Holth ausai [1 920b] (also [193411. S.G S. emend hiewanan.

213

50
585

wid by geolwan attre,

wig by grenan / attre,

wib 6 wonnan attre,

wig by wedenan attre,

wid dy br[un]an attre,

wid by basewan attre,

wid weergeblid,

wib
wid porngeblid,
wid ysgeblaed,
55

wid pys[tel]geblaed,
wid attorgeblid,

gif aenig attor come

eastan fleogan,
[o88e wnig suban],

We aenig nor8an come,

590

We aenig westan
+

60

Crist stud ofer alde

ofer werbeode.
wngancundes.

Ic ana wat

ea rirmende,

7 pa nygon

naedran behealda3;

583] : fol . 162 v. begi ns.

584 1 wi8 by w edcn an artire : so M S. C .G S .; We . places these words in brackets; om. H oops.
58 5 1 br[un ]an : MS. brimar^ (so Stu art also reads MS ); all other editors read brun an .
58 7] pys [tel] geblsd : so C .G. G. SedgeSel d ASPRS .GS .StuaR em end; MS .VVO. pysgebl a d; Hohh ausen [1 93 4]
emends pyrsgebl ied
5 88 ] ysgebleed : A4S . wi th p erased before this (scribal error probably caused by the immediate proxim ity ofpys- in
MS. pysgeb l wd ); so C.WB .G S .; Ho hh a usen [1 9 3 4] em en ds ystgeb lad .

3 89] attor : so MS. C. WS.GS .; purposefully am. Hotth ausen [193 4] .

5 89 ] aurae : MS . above li ne on caret m ark; C . remarks " it is better, for the rhythm, omitted", an d so GS . emend the
li ne gif wig attor eastan fl eogan ; Sedgefield presents this li ne thus: gif ani g attor I come eastan fleogan .

589 ] fleogpn : so h1S.C. WU.GS.; Hohhausen [1 9 51] emends fledge.

589-90 ] G. presents one long li ne gif mnig attor come eastan fl eogan We an ig nor3an come
590] oBJe ati gnordan ame : so MS . C . W^I.; Ho hh ausai [ 19 2 0b] (also [ 19 341) emends o83e mmig nordan j neahwian
come; H ohhausen [ 1 9 51 J em ends o83e w ig nor8an I on n i83as come; ASPR o88e wig n orms I a s ' acme; GS .
em en do&%e am i gnordan gente gan come.
5 90 ] [o8ae ani g suban] : om . MS . WO .G S .AS PR ; C . remarks "the omission of th e South is probably an error of th e
transcr iber" an d so S . suppl ies it

5 92] + : MS. a cross (of a type distinctfrom those preceding in this charm) and uncertain date in inner margin at
some distance from the text; I am very doubtful whether it ought in fact to be included in the text.
5 921 alde : so MS. C.GS ., though C. suggests and WO. G.AS PRS . emend adie; Sedge6eld.Hotthausen [ 1934] adle.
592] snganwndes: so S.; MS. angenwn des (divided over line-end); C.WO.G. Sedgefield aeagnn amdes; Hohhausen
[1 934] emends angan cyndes; GS .Stuart emend eanganamde.
59 3] ea rirmende : MS. C . earttman de.
5 9 3 -4] G . presents these words as one long line Ic ana wat ea rinnende and ba nygon n edran behea lda8.
594] 7 pa : so MS . Wd . S .GS .StuaR; Ho hh ausen [193 4] emends p a pa; ASP R em ends psr pa; Hoops places a cross
before these words (which properly belongs before 1. 592 Crisy.

5 94] nwdran behealda8: so M S.C. Wd .; Hotthausan [1920b] (also [1 934v.ASPR emend naDdran near behealda8; S .
n$ddron bet
GS. emend needran nu behealda6.

214

motan ealle weoda nu

595

sus toslupan,

wyrtu(m) / aspringaq

eal sealt waeter,

bonne) is pis attor

of cue geblawe . "

Mugcwyrt, wegbrade be eastan open sy, lombes cyrse, attorladan, magedaq netelan,
wudusuraeppel, fille 7 final, ealde sapan; gewyrc ba wyrta to Juste; maengc wip pa sapan 7
600

wip Dies aepples gor. Wyrc slypan of wictere 7 of axsan; genim finol, wyl on paere slyppan, 7
bepe mid [8]a[n] gemo[nlgc[e] pon(ne) he pa sealfe / on de, ge aer ge after. Sing D(wt)
galdor on xlcre Para wyrta, III aer he by wyrce, 7 on pone aeppel ealswa; and singe Don men
in pone mud 7 in pa Baran buts 7 on 6a wunde b(wt) ilce gealdor aer he pa sealfe on de.

[LXXVII] Gif se wynn sy nypergewend obo[e] se bledenda fic, bedelf Anne wrid
605

cilepenigan moran 7 ni(m) mid pinum twain handum upweard[e]s, 7 sing paerofer VIIII
Pater nostra ; aet pain / nige8an a t "libera nos a malo" bred by pon(ne) up; 7 nim of pain

cite 7 of oprum D(wt) per sy an lytel cuppeful, 7 drinc[e] by pon(ne); 7 be3ige pine mon to
wearman Eyre; him bib Bona sel.

395 ] : fol. 1 63r begi ns.

596 ) seah wester : so A1S .C. WB.GS.; SedgefieldS. sealtwaeter.
597] is : so hLS .C.V1'Q .GS.; S . is.
5 9 8-60 3] These li nes om . Waldcer [18 8 2 ]. WB.(but i nclu ded by L). Holth ausen [ 1934] .
5 99 ] wudusurappe l : so L ASPRS .G S .; MS. C . G .Sedgefield.Stuart wudusur eepp el .
5 99 1 mmgc: so MS . C .AS P R SIuart ; L G. Sedgefield. S.G S . mange.

600 ] gor : so MS.C. L G.Sedge6eld ASPR S.Stuart; GS. emend wos.

MS. C . L aagemogc, C . suggests ieggemancg; G. emends a ggemarig; Sedgefield
60 1] [a ]a [n] gemo [n]gc [e]
aegge nan g; AS PR emen ds wggemon gq S . em en ds eeggemon g; GS. em end Dan gemonge.
60 1 ] :fol . 1 6 3 v begi ns.
60 1] on de : M S.C. LS .Stuart onde; G S . emend ondo; G .ASPR emend on do; C. rem arks in a footnote "rea d do" (i.e.
m do); Sedgefield on do.

602 ] by : so IviS.GS.; om. C.

6 0 3 1 on de : h4S . C . LS .Stuari onde; G.G S . em end undo; ASPR em end on do; C. remarks "for do " (i.e. ondo);
Sedgefield an do.
60 4 ] Gif : MS . G- i s a capi tal, two li nes deep in ou ter margin.
60 4] o D0 [e ] : MS . the wh ole word is fai nt, with -e illegible.

605 ] moran 7 : MS . a fai nt letter (probably rn) is discernible at the end ofthis line.
6051 upweard[e] s : MS . upweardnes; C . uppeweardn es, bu t remarks "read uppeweardes " ; L uppeweardnes, GS .
m isread MS . uppew eardnes and emen d uppew eardes.
606 ] : fol . 1 6 4r begi ns.

6071

: MS.C.L drmc, GS. emend drenc (also suggesting drince).

215

[LXXVIII] Eft wib on ylcan: lit niman Anne greatne cwurnstan 7 haetan nine 7 lecgan
610

nine under pone man, 7 niman wxlwyrt 7 leomucan 7 mugcwyrt 7 lecgan uppan pone Stan
7 onunder; 7 do bwrto ceald wester, 71xt reocan pone brw6 upon pone man, swa hat swa he
hatust forberan maege.

[LXXIX] / Gif fot oODe cneow We scancan swellan : nim neo8ewearde betonican Ode
elehtran; cnuca by swipe; maengc wip smale hwaetenan meoluwe; clime on p(mt) geswel.

615

[LXXXI Wia micclum lice 7 bringcadle wyrce sealfe : wyll in buteran

as wyrta: elenan

moran, 7 hegerifan ufewearde, 7 sauinan 7 curmeallan 7 feferfugean 7 dolhrunan 7

brunwyri; awringc aurh clad; hafa pon(ne) gegniden 7 gebwmed sealt 7 an penigweor8
swefles .

609 ]
609 ]
6 1 11
6111
612 ]
6 1 31

Eft : M S . E- is a capital. two li n es deep i n inner margi n.

n iman : MS. acute top-s troke to -i-.
reocan : MS . r- correctedfrom s.
brac8 : so M S . C .G S .; L bred.
forberan cnuege : MS . with -beran nuege on ru n-over.
: fol . 164v begi ns.

613] Gif : MS. G- is a capital in outer margi n.

6 1 4] men gc : so MS .C.L ; GS . merge.
614] wip : MS. a tittle faint, possibly on erasu re6 141 sma le hw wtenan : so MS. C . L ; GS . emend smalan fi%wtman .
6151 W i0 : W- is a plai n minal xymn i n outer m argin.
615 ] WiO micclum l icx : AZS . th i rteenth-century annotation C ontra I.cpram preceded by a capi hulu m sign ; a faint
(poorly erased?) a cu te top-stroke to the -i- in miadum.
61 5 ] brin gcadl e : M S.C. L brin gc adl e with an acute top-stroke to -i-; G S . em e nd ain gadle.
61 6] Baum an : MS. acute top-stroke to -i-.
6 1 8 ] swed es : MS . glossed bre(m)sto(n ) a bove the line i n a th irteenth -ce n tury hand.

216

(LXXCI a] / Writ 8is ondlang ba earmas wip dweorh :

620

+ T + coA.

7 gnid cylebenigean on ealad; Sanctus) Macutus, S(an)c(t)e Uictorici.

[b] Writ is ondlang ba earmas wi8 dweorh :

+ T + p + T + N + w + T + LTI + M + coA

7 grid cylepenigean on eala3; S(an)c(tu)s

Macutus, S(an)c(t)e Uictorici.

[LXXXII] WiO wennas aet mannes heortan: nim hwerhwettan 7 rxdic 7 smxlne tunnxp 7
625

garleac 7 supernewuda 7 fifleafan 7 pipor on unsodenan hunige, 7 wring aurh cla3 7 pipera
/ pon(ne), 7 wylle pon(ne) swi8e.

61 9 ] :fol. 1 65 r begins.
61 9] MS . has possible traces ofa cross in outer margin next to this entry.
619] Writ : hiS . W- is a decorated i nitial xynn, two and a halJ'li nes deep in inner m argin.
61 9 ] mdlan g : MS . -d- a bove th e li ne on caret m ark; -1- is a capital, possibly corrected from another letter, -n- is
a lso i mperfec t.

61 9] 0a : so MS. C.; LGS. da.

62 0 ] + T + n)A 7 yvtiS : so h1S . C .G S . (also S ., b ut with lower case t); G. + t + w A; L + t + w 7 gri d
6211 Writ : MS . W- is an e n larged i n itial wynn.
622] + T + p + T + N + a) + T + YI + M + cuA : so MS., but perhaps UI is actually M; so also S . (but with lower case
ts); C .+ t + p + t +N+ w + t + m + M +wA ; L + t + p + t + N +w+ t + m + M + w A; G.+ t + p + t +N+ w + t + m
+ M + w + A, G S .+ T + p + T +N+cu +T+m + N +wA .
6 22] cylepen igean : so M S . C . L G S .; S . cyle^m ian .

624] Wia : MS. W- is a decorated initial wynn, three lines deep and partly in inner margin.
6241 hwerhwettan : so LGS.; MS. hover hwenan; C. hwerwettan.
624] srtuelne : MS. -ae- correctedfrom a.
624] srncln e tunnaep : so GS.; MS. sines] netun nip (smee}ne divided by line-end); C. reads snw}neazn nip, and notes
"read sneelne"; L emends snm lne nip.
625] supeme : MS . a short diagonal li ne through the s-, and a faint dot below the -u-.
626] : fol. 1 65v begi ns.

217

[LXXXIII] his gebed man steal singan on ba blacan blegene IX si8um:

"Tigab ... "
7 wyrc pon(ne) godne cliban: genim apes ages gewyrae greates sealtes 7 barn on anan
630

clabe p(act) hit si purhburnen; gegnid hit pon(ne) to Juste 7 nim pon(ne) preora Agra
geolcan 7 gemaengc to lam Juste, p(mt) hit sy swa slid p(mt) hit wille wel clyfian; 7
geopenige mon pon(ne) pone doff 7 binde bone cli6an to an swyle [swa] be pearf sy.
/ Wyrc him pon(ne) sealfe, bit hit halige: genim xaelferbingcwyrt 7 elehtran 7 reade
fillan 7 mercer gecnuca ealle tosomne 7 wyll on ferscre buteran.

635

[LXXXIV] Gif men eglaa seo blace blegen pon(ne) rime man great sealt; borne on
linenum Glade swa micel swa an aeg; grinde pon(ne) b(wt) sealt swipe smxl; rime pon(ne)
preora Agra geolcan, swinge hit swi3e togaudere, 7 lege hit VI niht pxrto; nim pon(ne)
eorbnafelan 7 grundeswylian / 7 cawelleaf 7 eald smera; cnuca b(wt) cal tosomne 71ege hit
preo niht paerto; nim pon(ne) gearwan 7 grundeswylian 7 brxmbelleaf 7 cline spit; cnuca

640

togaedere 71ege p aerto - him bib Bona sel - We hit hal sy; 7 ne come p aerwt nan waeta,
butan of pan wyrtan sylfan .

627] Isis : hiS . h- is a plain initial, two and a halflines deep in outer margin.
627] blacan blegene : MS . glossed Ad Carbu(n )culum. in a thirteenth-century hand.
627] blegene : so MS .; L. blegena .

628] TigaO : so MS. ; L 7ligab.

629] 7 wyrc : MS . w- is a plain initial wynn, two lines deep in outer margin (it is considerably larger than the P- ofI.
627 his); before the wynn are two 7s, one of which has been badly erased to make room for the wynn; the second 7,
though clearer is also faint - it may have been added to replace the erased 7, or been partially erased itself- 7 om .
C . ; 7 also om. LGS . who observe an erased 7.
630] purfibumen : MS . ^tA- (especially -u-) is faint.
6321 [swa] : so GS . emend (and propose panne as an alternative); Swart emends game; MS . C . L be. A combination
of scribal haplography and dittography can account for the error in MS . (but see Commentary for a possible
defence of the MS. reading) .

633]
633]
633]
633]

: fol . 166r begins.

Wyrc : MS. W- is a plain initial wynn, two lines deep and partly in inner margin.
beet : MS. -w- is faint, though still legible.
7 first) : MS. faint in inner margin.

6351
635]
6361
636]
6371
638]

MS . Thirteenth -century annotation to this entry, Ad carbunc(u)I(u)n.

Gif : MS . G- is a capital, two lines deep in inner margin.
linenum : MS. acute top- stroke to -i-.
an : MS . an accent sign over a-.
nim : MS . -i-above line on caret mark.
gtndeswylgian / 7 : L misplaces foL division after 7 .

6381 / : fol . 166v begins .

218

[LXXXV] Gif in heorte ace, nim ribban 7 wyl on meolce; drinc nygon morgenas; De bib
sons sel .

[LXXXVI] / + Wig dweorh: man steal niman VII lytle oflxtan swylce man mid ofra8, 7
645

wri[t]an

as naman on aelcre oflxtan : Ma)imian(us) , Malthus, Iohannes, Martimianus,

Dionisius, Constantinus, Sermon. Daenne eft p(mt) galdor b(wt) herxfter cwe6 man steal
singan, merest on b(wt) wynstre eare, panne on pmt swibre eare, panne (b]ufan pis marines
moldan; 7 ga paenne an maedenman to 7 ho hit on his sweoran, 7 do man swa pry dagas
hi(m) bid sons sel.
650

"Her tom ingangan

inspidenwiht .

Hwfde hi(m) his Kaman on panda,

cwae8 b(wt) pu his hxncgest wire.

6421 Gif : MS . G- is a capital partly in outer margi n.

6421 heorte ace :IL LS . glossed Ad Cardiac(am) above the line in a thirteenth-century hand; C . L ad cardia cos.
6431 C . misinterprets the flourish marki ng the end ofthe entry and leafin MS . as a 7.
6441 : fol . 167r b egins.

644] C . prints whole entry as prose; om. L

644] MS . a cross in the inner margin next to this entry, om . C . Wt7 . G. ASPR. S . Stuart
644] Wi8 : so MS C . WD . GS .; S . \l l' ib; MS . W- is a plain initial Wynn, two lines deep and partly in inner margin.
644] dwemfi : so bLS . G. ASPRS . GS .; C . WO . weofi.
645] wri(t]an : so ASPRGS . Stuart emend; MS . writ tan (divided over line-end); C . WQ . G. S . writian ; Sedgefield
wrilul .

6451 Maximian (us) : GS . unusually note the -us abbreviation.

645] Mertimianus : so MS . (probable scribal error for Martinianus cau sed by preceding -imianus in Maximianu s) so
ASPR . S .; C . G. SedgefieldGS . Martinianus ; Wt3 . StuaR emend Martinianus; MS . M- is an uncial form.
6461 Serafim : so hiS . C . VVU . GS .; Stuart emends Serapion .
6461 b(it) galdor p(eat) herwfter cwe8 : so MS (but with herrfter divided her xRer). C . WB. ASPRS .; GS . emend bmt
galdor pmt man her after cwe6eb; Magoon [ 193 7a] suggests cwe3 is an errorfor cym3 or cweden is.
646] singan : hiS . accent sign over -a- .
6471 Ib]ufan : so Butz [1916] . ASPRGS . emend; NiS . Wfl. huEan ; C . G . S . Stuart emend ufazn; Magoun [1953] reads MS .
bufan .
6481 dates : NiS . -gas on run-over.
6481 : fol . 167v beg i ns .
650-81 W8 . places metrical line divi si ons after wilt (= inspidanwilit here), panda, were, sweoran, lean, colian, heo,
moste, rtuffite, and cube ; G . S . after wffit, panda, were, sweoran, Go an, conian , colian, sweostar, savor, moste, mite, and
cube ; ASPR. GS . as my edi tion; Stuart de rides ... in gang+n I ... wart 11 ... him ... panda ... pu I ... wire I ... teage I ...
sweoran ... him ... li p an ... by I ... Boman ... him ... colian ... gangan I ... sw eostar ... heo I... svor 11 adlegym ^
moste ... galdor ... mihte ... galdor I ... cube 1.

6501 Her : so MS. C. WO. GS.; Hohhausen [1920a + b] emends he.

650 ingangan : so S chlutta [1907a] . Gr. S . GS .; C . Wd. G. SedgefieldASPR. Swart in gangan ; MS . in gangan (divide d by
line-end).
650] spidenvilit : MS . inspidenwitrt with -n- poorly formed on an erasure of a letter possessing an ascender (i. e. 1,
b, or h); C . Wd . G. in spider w1t; Schlutter [1907a] in spider-wiht; Sedgefield inspidenvait; ASPR em ends in
spiderwait; S . emends in spider wit; Or. emends inwri3 en wt^t; GS . are undecided over MS , reading - they think
widen (or possibly umswiden) - and emend mwri3ai wart; Stuart em ends unspedig wit; Sandmann an spidenvlt;
Holthausen [1925] proposes inspider-wifit.
651 ]hi(m) : MS . a letter erased followi ng -i .
6511 V wt) : GS . mi sprint pack..

651] hsncgest : MS. o above line on caret mark

219

Leg(d]e pe his teage an sweoran . Ongunnan hi(m) of p-xm lande lipan.

Sona swa by of pW_m lande roman
5
655

pa ongunnan hi(m) ba lipu colian .

Da co(m) ingangan , deores sweostar.

1^a g(e)xndade he-o,

7 abas savor

bit nxfre pis die(m) adlegan

ne paem Pe pis galdor
oboe Pe is galdor

derian ne moste,

begytan mihte,
ongalan cope.
Am(en) . Fiab . "

6 5 21 leg[d]e pe his tea ge an : so Skemp [ 19 11b : 2 94] . B inz [ 1 91 6].ASP R emen d; MS. legzpe histeageaq the second a(or possibly u) is very badly form ed, a cross-sfioke having been erased making it resemble u ; -n is corrected from m
by pumal erasu re: -e i n teage is large, probably i ndicati ng the end of a word; C . Wa. lege Pe his tea gean; Schlutter
[1 907a] .G. Sedgefield em e nd legep he his tea ge an; H o lthausen [ 19 2 0b; 195 1 ].Gr.G S . em end legde be his teage on ; S .
reads MS tea geun and em ends l egde pe his teage an ; Stuart emends Legede his tea ge an sweoran_
65 2] m g}mnan ... l aude : so MS.C. Wd .GS.; Ho lth ausen [1 9 2 0b ] em ends Ongunnan him pa J apan of piem laude lipan ;
H olthausen 1 1 9 5 1] On giam on h im of biem laude li pan and suggests replacing lands with time.
6 5 2] OngFam an ... deri an n e moste : Sedgefie ld pri n ts these li n es as prose.
652] li pan : so MS . C .V1'^7.G S .; Sedgefi el d li0an .
6 5 31 Pa m g uman hi (m ) as l ib u colian : so T lS . with an gunn an (divided on gunman by li ne-end) having Bal i looki ng
rath er like 0ah, interlined a bove hi (m) with out a caret mark, and with a small u above 3a ; so H o lthausen
[1 92 06] .AS PR.; C. Pa mgiaman him pa colian (noting Sah interlined above pa); WO. Pa m gunnan him Pa 3ah col ian ;
Sdilutier [ 1 907a] as on garm an h im b(it ) h a p a co l ian ; Gr.GS. emend pa ongurnan hirn pa leomu colian; Sedgefield pa
m gunaan him pa coli an ; S . Pa m gunnan h im bah b a colian; Magoun [ 195 3] comm ents "the MS . surely reads pa
ongunnan hi m da hda ( hdu ) cohan, with the It of Ms hda inserted above the line between th e two da - syllables and
easily mi staken for h" ; Swart pa m gunnan h im 8a l ips colian ; San dmazm as m gunn an him ba lipu acol ian .
6541 co( m ) : GS . m isprint a bbreviation corn.

6 54] ingao gan : so MS. C . WQ. S.GS.; Sedgefield.ASPRStuart in gan gan .

654] deores : so MS . C . WD . Sed gefie ld; Binz [191 6 ] . Hohha usen [1920a].ASP R. emend dweores; Holthausen [192 06]
also sugges ts dw eorges; Gr.G S . em end Bares.

65 5 ] g(e )wndade : so MS . C . WU.; S.GS. gemndode.

6 56 ] pis &t(m) adlegan : MS. Pis broadly spaced (-i- possibly on erasure), 6w(m) above li ne, -a- in adlegan
corrected midformation (first stroke is a minim stroke (posnbly an 0), and -n above true; Stuart ,is 3mn adlegan,
reading MS. Pis Omm adlega, "wi th i obis written over erased it".
6 56 ] adlepan : so MS.C . WO .GS.; Holthausen [1 920a + b] suggests dreorgan.
65 6 ] derian : so MS .C. WO .; MS . d- badly form ed, and possibly on erasure (Stuart th inks it is corrected from a); -ri an
is jau nt; H olthausen [ 192 0b ] suggests eglan ; GS . em end eglian .

6 56] tie : MS . in outer margi n, and the -e has an enlarged loop.

65 7 This li ne om. Sedgefield.
65 7 1 tie : MS . a bove the li ne, no ca ret m ark

65 9] FiaO : so MS. C.ASPR ; Sedgefield fiat; WA . G. S.GS . Stuart emend fiat,

220

660

[LXXXVII] Her syndon laecedomas / wib aelces cynnes omu(m) 7 onfeallu(m) [7]
bancopwn eahta 7 twentige : -

Grenes merces leaf g(e)cnucude mid aeges p(mt) hwite 7 ecedes drxstan; smyre on pa Stowe
per p(act) sar sy .

[L?i;XXVIIIJ Wi8 omu(m) 7 blegnu[m]:

665

Cristus natus aaius s(an)c(tu)s a (Cristus) passes aaius a (Cristus) resurrexit a mortuis aaius

s(an)c(tu)s as sup[er]are potens.

[LX7IXIX] Wib omu(m) 7 ablegnedu(m) : Sur meolc; ayrce cealre 7 bee mid cealre.

[XCI Eft: g(e)ni(m) beordrwstan 7 sapan 7 ages p(act) hwite 7 ealde Brut; lege on wib
omens / geswelle.

670

[XCI] Eft wid omens geberste: sitte on cealdu(m) wTtere, Wad hit adeadad sy; teoh

pon(ne) up; sleah pon(ne) feower scearpan ymb pa poccas utan 71xt yrnan pa hwile be he
wille.
7 wyrc pa sealfe: brunewyrt, merscmergyllan 7 reade netlan; wel on buteran; smyre
mid, 7 bepe mid pam wyrtu(m) .

660 ] Ha : MS . a later capitulum sign before the large in itial H-.

660] I soedomas : MS . wi th -domes on run-over.
660 ] :fol. 168r begi ns.

660 ] [7] : om. MS.C. (though included in his translation) L; GS. supply 7.
662] ecedes : MS. first e- correctedfrom another letter.
664]
6 64]
665 ]
666 ]

Wia : so MS .; S . Wi b; MS . a la ter capi tulum sign before th is word.

bl egnu[m] : so C. L G S . em end' MS . blegiu ; S . blegnum.
aaius (th rice): so M S.G S .; MS . an accent sign over either a ; C . L aauis.
as : MS . an accen t sign over either a .

666 ] sup[er]are : so GS . emend; MS .C. L suptare.

666] pocens : so MS . L GS.; C. poteris.
6 67] C . L end this en try with the initial eft of the following one - they were misled by the lack ofa point after cealre
an d the placing ofa colon after eft in MS ; eft is at the start ofa lin e in MS .

667] WO : MS, preceded by a later capitulum sign.

669 1 : fol. 1 6 8v begins.
6 70] Eft : MS . a later capitulum sign precedes capital E-.

22 1

675

[XCII] Eft: angeltwaeccan; g(e)gnid swipe; do eced to, 7 on bind, 7 smyre mid

[XCIII] Eft : safinan ; gegnid to duste 7 mx[n] gc wip hunige, 7 smyre mid.

[XCIV] / Eft wib po[n] ylcan: genim gebrxdde wgru; meng wib ele; lege on, 7 beswepe
mid betan leafum.

[XCV] Eft : cealfes scearn We ealdes hryperes wearm, 71ege on.

680

[XCVI] Eft: geni(m) heoretes sceafepan of felle, ascafen mid pumice, 7 were mid ecede 7
smyre mid

[XCVIII Eft: geni(m) eofores geallan We operes swynes, 7 smyre mid paer hit sar si.

[XCVIII] Wi8

on ylcan: genim swolwan nest, 7 gebraec mid ealle, 7 g(e)baeme mid

scearne mid ealle, 7 g(e)gnid to Juste, 7 mxng wip eced, 7 smyre mid.

685

[XCIX] Eft : gehxt ceald water mid isene, 7 bee mid gelome .

675] EntryhCll: There is no indication in MS . that this is a distinct entry.

6751 g(e)grid : MS . -n- above line.
675] do : MS . d- is badly formed on erasure.
675] an bmd : so MS . C . L; GS . emend bind on .
6761 Eft : MS . a later capitulum sign precedes capital E-.
676] Juste : N1S . -u- is badly formed.

6761 mae[n]gc : so C.LGS . emend; MS . mega

676] wip : so MS . C; LGS. wig.
677] : fol . 169r begins .
677]
677]
677]
677]
679]
680]

Eft : MS . capital E- in the inner margin and preceded by a later capitulum sign.
po[n] : so C . LGS . emend; MS , pon(ne) .
gebra)dde : MS . an erasure after this at end ofItne.
&-gtu : MS . an erasure ojone or two letters before this word at start ofline.
Eft : hZS . a later caprtulum sign precedes capital E-; an erasure after this word.
Eft : MS . a later capitulum sign precedes capital E-.

680] geni(m) : so MS. LGS . ; om. C.

680] ascafen : so C .L; MS . a scafen (drvided by Une-end); GS. emend ascafene.
680] 7 (second) : MS. possibly an addition.
682] Eft : MS . a later capitulum sign precedes the capital E-.
682] geallan : MS . accent sign over second -a-.
683] EntryXCi771: There is no indication in hLS . that this is a distinct entry.
683] swolwan : so MS . C . L; GS , emend swalwan .
685] Eft : MS . a later capihiGim sign precedes capital E- in inner margin.
685] isene : MS . after this word at the end of the line in the outer margin are erased two parallel horizontal lines
with a short vertical line joining them.

222

[C] Wi8 hwostan / 7 neorunyse: wyl sealuian 7 finol on geswettum ealo3 7 sup hat; do swa

swa oft swa be pearl sie.

[CII Wig morgenwlxtunga: wyl on wactre eorpgeallan; swet mid hunige; sele hi(m) godne
bollan fume on morgenne .

690

[CHI Wib pon be mon blode wealle purh his mud : g(e)nim betonican preora trymess[a]
g(e)wxge 7 tole gate meoloc breo cuppan fulle, 7 drince; pon(ne) bib he sons hal.

[CIII] Wi8

ices monnes tydernesse innewearde: genime wegbrxdan; do on win; sup D(wt)

wos, 7 ete pa wyrta; pon(ne) deah hit wib xghwylcre / innancundre unhxlo.

(CIV] Gif man sceorpe on pone inna0: galluc hatter delf pa moran; do to duster co godne
695

cucelere fume, a!gscylle fulle wines We godes ealab, 7 hunig; syle dri[n]can aer on mergen.

[CV] [Wid eagena tears : heortes homes axan ; do on g(e)swet win. ]

6 86 1 W i a : MS . a later coprtu lum sign precedes the enlarged wynn .

6 86 1 hw ostan : MS . erasure of two para llel horizon tal li nes with vertical stroke in outer m argin after this word (as in
11. 685 above and 700 below).
6 86 ] : fol . 1 6 9v begi ns.
688] W i0 MS . a nota sign a n d a later capi tu(um sig n precede this word in outer m argi n.
690 ] W i0 : M S . a later capitulum sign precedes this word.

690 1 trymess ia] : so C .LGS. emend; MS . try mess (divided by line-end); MS. the fas t -s- is formed of a downstroke
only.
692] Wi0 MS . a later capitu lum sign precedes this word; acute top-stroke to -i-; accen t sign om. C.
69 2] sl oes marines : so hiS .C.L; G S. em e nd aelaes doges monnes.

692]
69 31
6941
694]

sup so MS . C. L ; GS. emend supe.

: fol . 1 70r begi ns.
Gif : MS . a later capitulum sign precedes this word.
man : MS. erasu re after this word at end ofline in outer margin.

6 94] de lf : MS . delf wi 0 ea gena tears h eaies h om es a xan do on g(e)sivet w in pa moran do to Juste do godne cucelere
fume egcylle fuUe wines oWe godes ealab 7 hunig syle drican wr on merges - I tran spose the words wib ... win from
th ei r MS . positio n to form Entry CY. C . L assume som e omission before and after detf ; GS . transpose the words wib
to merger to form the followi ng en try with the additional transposition of pa moran to follow Jeff and leave the
presen t en try apparently incomplete.

6941 do (first): MS. a bove li ne on caret mark

695 ] dri[n] can : so L GS. emend; MS. C . dri can.
695 ] mergen : so MS.LGS.; C. morgcn.
6961 [W i8 ... win) : MS. these words are misplaced between detf and pa moran (see n. to L 694 above).

223

[CYn Wig Baron zepele draenc: g(e)nim hrwdic nypeweardne 7 elenan, pa bradan
biscopwyrt 7 cassucleaf, rudan 7 rosan, safenan, feferfuigan; gebeat ealle tosamne; ofg(e)at
mid aenne rester fulne ealob wr pu mete picge.

700

[CVII] Wi8 lungenadle 7 breostwr=e : geni(m) mercer sad 7 diles / sa x ; grid; wyl; 7
gemaeng wi0 huniges tearer do sumne duel pipores, 7 do him preo snwda on nihtnyhstig.

[CVIII] Wig healsomena: smyra by Bona mid hryperes geallan 7 swipost mid oxan; hi(m)
bib sons rel .

[CIX] Wia lxndenece: g(e)nim betonican X paenega g(e)waege; do per g(e)swettes wines to
705

twegen Bolan fuller mxng wib hat wester, syle hit nistigu(m) drincan.

[CX] Wi3 utsihte: g(e)ni[m] lemocan; wyl by ong(e)me[t]lice mid smale hwaetenan
melowe; do hryperes smera to o68e sceapes; syle him etan wearm.

6971 Wia : MS_ a later capituUum sign precedes this word, and there is an erasure in outer margin.
697] Berm : so hSS .C .GS .; L. Baran.
6981 cassucleaf . MS . accent sign above -u-.
6981 tosanne : so TiS . -n-above line; -s- correctedfrom d, -a- (-o-?) is badly formed on erasure (ofo?); C . tosottme .
699 aer : TiS . descender of -r is split.
699] picge : MS . -e partially obscured by a later capitulum sign .
700] Wi0 : MS . a later capitulum sign precedes this word.
700] 7 (first) : MS . m faint ink and probably an addition; om. C .
7Q01 breostvrare : h4S , erasure of two parallel horizontal lines with short joining vertical stroke in outer margin
after breost- at end of line (cf. 11. 685, 686 above) .
7001 gcni(m) : GS . misprint abbreviation genitor
7001 : fol . 170v begins .
701] preo : MS . has ete interlined after this word in othirteenth-cenhtry hand on a ^ shaped caret mark; C . emends
it co elan (and observes that the word is in a later hand); L Bier our . GS .
701 ] snwda : N1S . with interlinear thirteenth-century gloss . i . piles, and ad mode(m) nutis annotation in outer margin.
702] Wia : MS . a later capitulum sign and an erasure in outer margin precede this word

7041 Wi0 : MS. a later capitulum sign precedes this word.

7051 Bolan : so MS.C .L ; GS . emend bollan .
7061
706]
7061
706]
706]

Wia : MS . w}mn is badly executed and may be by a different hand; it is preceded by a later capitulum sign.
geni[m] : MS . g(e)ni followed by an erased letter.
: MS . le-and the top part ofthe -m- added by a different hand.
mg(e)ine[t]lice : MS . on meg(e )tlice (with -g(e)- above line); C . L gemetlice ; GS . emend meda gemetlirx.
smale : so MS . C . L; GS . emend smalan.

707] do : MS . followed by two converging lines (possibly in a different hand).

7071 hryperes : MS . hry pe- res (res starting a new line) -hyphen appears to be in same hand as main tent.

224

[CXI] / Gif hors gescoten sy, We oiler neat: nim ompran sad 7 Scyttisc wex; gesing(e)
mmssepreost XII mxssan ofer 7 do haligwxt(er) on; 7 do pon(ne) on p(mt) hors, We on
710

swa hwylc neat swa hit sie; hafa be pa wyrta symle mid

[CXII] Gif men synd waennas gewunod on D(wt) heafod foran We on ba eagan: wring
neopewearde cuslyppan 7 holleac in 6a nwspyrlo; lit licgan upweard gode hwile;

is is

gewis lmcedom .

[CXIII] To monnes staemne: nim cyr- / fillan 7 wuducyrfillan, biscopwyrt, ontran,

715

grundeswyligean; wyrc to draence on hluttrum ealad.

Nim preo snada buteran; gemxngce wi3 hwaeten meola, 7 gesylte; pyge mid 3y

drience; do swa neogan morgnas, ma [gyt] be pearf sy.

[CXIV] Wia angcbreoste : wyll holenrinde on gate meolce 7 sup we[ar]m nyhstig .

708] : fol. 171r begins.

708 1 Gif : MS . G- is a capital two li nes deep in i nner m argi n.
70 8 ] ompran :Ni5 . glossed dodce .s sede. above the h ne in a thirteenth-centu ry hand.
7091 on OrirstJ: MS . acce nt sign (Yai n tJ over o-.
709 ] on (second) : so MS . C . G S.; L 7 (both L. and GS . misrepresent C. in their notes).
7 111 MS . n ota si gn i n ou ter m argi n.
7111 MS . Q is a capr tal in inner m argin.
711 1 k(): GS . m isprin t abbreviatio n ^L
712 ] ho llea c : M S. -a- overwrites the rem ai ns ofan other Jetier; -c is slig h tly dam aged.
714] To : MS. T- is en la rged i n inner margi n.

714] cyr- 611 an : so MS. with hyphen on versa.

7141 J61. 1 7 1 v begi ns.
71 61 Nim : MS. capita l N- follows a colon.
716] Nim prao : MS . -in prv on erasure.
71 6] gemen gce : MS . -n gce on erasu re.

71 6 ] hwaten meola : MS. possibly on erasure.

7171 [ gyf] : so C. L em end; MS . gyf g& GS . em end gif:
717] Oearf : MS . pear- on erasure.

718 1 Wi0 : MS. W- is a decorated initial xynn, two lines deep in outer margin.
71 8] we[ar)m : so GS. emend; MS. weram; C.L emend weazme.

225

[CXV] Wig done swiman : nim rudan 7 salfian 7 final 7 eorbifig, bettonican 7 Lilian ; cnuca
720

ealle /pas wyrta tosomne; do on Anne pohchan; ofgeot mid waetere; grid swy6e; lit sigan

ut on sum fit; ni(m) pone waetan 7 wyrm, 71afa in heafod mid; do swa oft swa be pearl
sy

[CXVI] Wyrc godne drenc wi8 sidece: wyl betonican 7 pollegan in aldu(m) wine; do in
XXVII piporcorn gegrundenra; syle him on nihtnyhstig godne scenc fume wearmes, 7
725

gereste gode hwile after bum drence on Oa saran sidan.

ICXVII] Wi3 Son ylcan: wyll in ealap pa haran hunan / 7 rudan; geswet mid hunige; syle
drincan on mergene on nihtnihstig godne bollan fume, 7 o8eme bon(ne) he restan wille; 7
symle reste wrest on ba saran sidan obdaet he hal sy.

[CXVIM Eft wi3 sidece: genim hoclwf grene; cnuca swi3e; mwngc aid ele p(wt) hit sy

730

swylce clam ; clam 8on(ne) on as sidan pxr se sy mist 7 wTi3 mid cla3e; lit sera gm-riben
prep niht; pon(ne) bib se man hal .

71 9 ] Wia : NiS . W- is a decorated ini tial wynn, two li nes deep in outer margrrz
71 9 ] sw iman : so MS . C .; L sw imman ; GS . m isread MS , swumnan and emend swinsxi_
7 19] nim : MS acute top-stroke to -i-.
71 9 17 : MS . fai nt i n ou ter ma rgi n.
719] sa lfian : htS. -1- is fro nt.

7201 :fol. 172r begins.

72 0 ] poh chan : MS . -ch- on erasu re.

72 1 1 wan : MS. A- is a correction, possiblyfrom a.

72 1 ] swa (twice) : MS . - as G S . note "the s hoe has a tiny stroke abort a quarts the size of the cross-stroke of a letter
f in th e first instance L. takes it for an f."
7231 Wi 0 : b1S . W- is a decorated i nitial xynn, two lines deep in i nner margi n.
7231 pollegas : so MS .C. (C. remarks i n foo tnote "readpollegian"); LGS , emend po11egjan.
723 ] aldu ( m) : G S . wrongly expand abbreviatio n aldum.
724 1 p ipot+oom : so L ; MS . C . p ipor oom (C . remarks i n footnote "understand as cana '"A GS. enQend pipvrcoma.
danra.
724] gegimdenro : MS . fair or five letters erased above this word; GS, wrongly punt
724] gegrundenra syle : MS . wi th -r- sy- partially erased.

724] n i yhstig : MS . -s- is badly formed, probably a correction.

72 4] nffitn)tisti g godn e soak fume : MS. a large erasure above these xsords.
724) weannes : tvLS . -r- un tidily formed; erasure ofthree or four letters above this w ord.
72 5 1 gereste gods hwile : MS. an erasure above these words.
726 ] Wia : MS . W- is an enlarged ini tial wymn.
726 : fol. 1 72v begins.
72 71 wil ls : MS . a dot below the Is - scri bal su bpu nchng for wi le?
72 9 ] Eft : MS. E- is a capital in ou ter margin.

7291 hoclwf : so MS .C. L ; GS. emend hocleaf.

72 9] mecngc : so MS.C. L ; GS . merge.

226

[CXIX] / Wig fotadle: genim betonican; wyl in waetere; bewyll priddxn dael; syle pon(ne)
drincan; 7 da wyrt gecnuca; legs on; wundorlice hrade D(wt) sar gelyhteb, pis be gelxrede
l aeceas secgea0.

735

[CXX] Wid bare miclan siendan fotadle, pyre be laeceas hata3 podagre. Seo adl bid
aswollen 7 heo sihd wursme 7 gilstre 7 seonuwa fortogene 7 da tan scrinceb up. Genim
grundeswyligean, 8a be on aerenu wexe3, 7 pa readan wudufillan, bega efenfela; cnuca wid /
ealdum swines rysle; wyrc to clams; do on Oa fet; wria mid cla6e on niht; 7 bweah eft on
morgen 7 dryg mid cla3e; smyre mid henne ages De hwitan; do eft nyowne clam; do swa

740

VII niht; pon(ne) bid 6a seonuwa rihte 7 da fet hale.

7321 : fol . 173r beg i ns .

732] Wib : hiS . W- is a decorated initial Wynn, three lines deep in inner margin.
7321 pon(ne) : MS . -o- altered from another letter (probably n) .

73317 : so MS . LGS. ; om. C.

7351
7351
7361
736]

Wi0 : MS . W- is a decorated rn+hnl xynn, three lines deep in inner margin.

siendan : so MS . C . L; GS , emend siondan.
gilslre : A4S . glossed guitars above the line in a thirteenth -century hand.
sQinceb : so MS . C . L; GS . emend sainca8.

736] up : MS . accent sign over u-.

737] m : so MS. C . GS .; om. L
7371 eeranu : MS . -u corrected from e by partial erasure.
737] wudufillan : MS . glossed sp(ar)agris agrestis above the line; C. sparagia agrestis; L sparaiga agrestis.
7371 : fol . 173v begins.

739] pe : so MS .C . L; GS . emend by.

739] do (/first) : MS. accent sign over -o.
740 pon(ne) : GS . misprint abbreviation pmne.
740] as (/irst) : MS . faint.

7401 da (second) : MS. above line, apparently in some ink, but possibly in a different hand; L thinks it is in a later
hand; GS . think it contemporary.

227

[CXXI] Wyrc drienc wip Do[n] ylcan: g(e)ni(m) da ylcan grundeswyligean 7 hindheolo8an
7 as smalan cli0wyrt 7 wuduhrofan 7 pollegian, ealra efenfela; do in win o8be on wylisc
Bala; syle dri(n]can godne sca:nc fulne on nihtnihstig; pes / draenc is god wib endwerce 7
wib peorwerce 7 wig fotswilum.

745

[CXXII] Wi0 giccendre wombe: wyll pollegian on waetere; syle supan swa he hatost merge
ara:fnan; dam men bib sons se gic6a lxssa.

[CXXIII] Wyrc sealfe wi8 lusum : wyll in buteran nyo8eweardne hymlic 7 wyrmod abbe
bo3en; smyre mid p(mt) heafod; seo sealf gedea p(wt) paer bib Para lusa lws.

[C XXIV] Wyrc godne drienc wi3 lusum: g(e)ni(m) lufestice 7 wyrmod 7 hymlic; doo in
750

eala; syle drincan on nihtnihstig / godne bollan fulne.

7411 Wia : MS. W- is a decorated initial xynn, two lines deep in outer margin.
741] bofnj : so all editors emend; MS. pan(ne).

7411 gtmdeswligzan : MS. glossed senecoep (with a line above -erne-) in a thirteenth-century hand; C.LGS.
se,eceoep.
7411 hindheolobmn: MS. glossed ambrosia in same hand as before.

7421 smalan clibwyrt: MS. glossed rubes minor in same hand as before.
742 wuduhrofan : MS. glossed ascots regia in same hand as before.
743] dri[n]can : so GS. emend, MS.C.L,. drican (C. remarks in footnote "understand drincan").
743] : fol. 174r begins.
7431 wi0 endwerce:ILLS. glossed c(antra) puduras (xath sign of abbreviation above -a-) in same hand as before; GS.
read contra punduras; C emends contra puncturas.
744] ^eonveroe : so C.L; MS. peon werce (divided by Gne-end); GS. (following C's suggestion) emend PeOhwerce;
MS. -werce glossed dolore(m) in same hand as before.
7441 fotswilum : MS. -swilumglossed mtlatimem (C.LGS. read inflacioneni) in same hand as before.
745] Wi8 : MS. W- is a zoomorphic (serpentine) initial Wynn, four lines deep and partly in inner margin.
7471 W}mc : MS. W- is a decorated initial wynn, two lines deep and partly in inner margin.

749 Wyrc : MS. W- is a decorated initial wynn, two lines deep and partly in inner margin.
749] doo : MS. accent sign abovefirst -o-.
7501 nflitnflistig ; MS. -stig on run-over.
7501 : fol. 174v begins.

228

[CXXV] Wi8 innodes hefignese: syle etan rwdic mid sealte, 7 eced supan; Bona bib p(aet)
mod le ohtre .

jCXXVI] Wi8 fleogendan attre: asleah IIII scearpan on feower healfa mid Tcenan brander
geblodga done brand; weorp on weg; sing bis on III :
755

"+ Mathews me duca8; + Marcus me conserux0; + Lucas me liberat; + Johannes me

adiuuat semper. Am(en). Contriue D(eu)s omnem malum et nequitiam, p(er) uirtutem
Patris et Filii et Sp(iritu)s S(an)c(t)i; s(an)c(t)ifica me / Emanuhel Ih(esu)s (Cristus);
libera me ab o(m)nib(us) insidiis inimici; benedictio D(omi)ni sup(er) Caput meum;
potens D(eu)s in omni tempore. AMEN."

751] Wi8 : MS . W- is a decorated initial xynn, two lines deep and partly in outer margin.
751 ] hefigiese : so MS . ; C . LGS . emend hefigiesse .
753] Entry CCXI7: MS . this entry is bracketed offat the top in the outer margin by a later hand.
7531 Vl'i8 : hiS . W- is a decorated ini tial wynn , two and a half lines deep in outer margin.
7551 duca0 : so MS . C . L; G. GS . emend ducat; S . deca8.
7551 +: MS . in outer margin.
755] oonseruai-b : so MS . (With -u- above line) C . L ; G. emends oonsetuet; GS . emend oanseniat
755] liberal : so MS . C . LGS . (though C . remarks "read liberet"); G. emends liberet .

755] adiuuat : so MS . LGS; C. a0iuuat (but remarks "read adiuvet"); G. emends adiuuet .
7561 ConUiue : so MS . C . L.. GS . (though C. remarks "read Cmtere"); Stuart emends Contere; MS . large C- is in the
outer margin.
757] Sp(iritu)s : MS . first s- is corrected from f by partial erasure and the -p- is corrected from i - evidently the
scribe had started to write filii again.

757] S(an)o(t r : so MS . C. LGS . ; S. wrongly remarks "sancti not in MS" .

757] : fol . 175r begins.
7571 Emanuhel : MS . -h- is partly alteredfrom a different letter.
757] (Cristus) : MS . xps (with overline abbreviation bar) has x- above line on caret mark
7581 insidiis inimici : MS . every i has an acute top- stroke .
758] mimici : so MS . ; G. emends mimicis .
7581 D(omi)ii : MS . acute top-stroke to -i .
758] Caput : so MS .; G . emends capitem
759] AMEN : so MS . capitalization ; MS . a different (probably later) hand crudely writes beside this word AMEN
NO PENN (or perhaps the p is a p or a wynn); the same hand writes some other letters in the outer margin above
this (partly cropped at edge oflead - yo * B.

229

760

[CXXVII a] Wig Urstice: feferfuige 7 seo reade netele be purh xrn inwyxb 7 wegbrade;
wyll in buteran.
[b] Hlude w-wran hy, la hlude,
wwran anmo`de

ba by ofer pone hlx-w ridan,

6a by ofer land ridan.

Scyld Cu 0e nu, Vu aysne nib

765

Ut, lytel spere,

gif herinne sie!

Stoll under Linde,

under leohtu(m) scylde,

per 0a mihtigan wif

7 by gyllende

genesan mote!

hyra maegen / beraeddon,

gams sxndan.

760] Entry GL'I'VIIq + b : Thi s entry (or entries) om. L; Etimt711 er (also Ri eger) has v for w throughout this entry,
and sometimes b for b (other early edi tors including Grimm also ofte n make m istakes over b and 3 which I do not
record) .
760] Wi3 so MS . C . Wd. GS .; S . Wib; MS . W- is a decorated ini tial w}mn, two lines deep in inner margin.
7601 faxstice : MS . -i- has an acute top stroke.
760] feferfuige : so hLS . C . WU . GS .; Gri mm Fn.,,O11 er feferfuge; Sweet [1884; 19671 emends feferfuge; Rieger. Stuatt
emend feferfugie; Sedgefield feferf'iuige .
760] seo : so MS . C . Wd . GS .; Stuart reads MS . se and em ends seo.
760] sin so MS . C . WO . GS .; Wright & Halliw ell . Boutenv ek. Rieger. haem .
7601 rtmwyxd : so MS . C . A'Q . GS . Swce! [1967] ; Sweet [18841 inn-wy xo .

760] wegbrade : so MS . Wil .G. S. ASPRSwazt ; Grimm. Kemble.EumQ11a.C.LGS. wegbrwide.

761 wyll so MS .C .WQ. GS .; Grimm. Kemble.Ettmuller. wylle.
7611 buteran : so MS . C . WQ . GS .; E . buteran . cveb tame ; MS . after th i s word and a point a crude design (a
horizontal line wi th shorter vertical strokes tou ching it at right angles) is added in different ink to fi ll up the rest of
the line.
762 Hlude : H- is a simply ornamented initi al, two lines deep and partly in inner margin.
7621 wwran : so MS . C . Wya .; Grimm.F timilller. KB . GS . wwron .
762] by : so MS . C . VI'o . GS .; CmmmFUmUller . Boutecwek hi (et passim).
7621 ridan : so riS . C . WU . GS .; Cmmm. Kemble. Ettmfllla . Boutenv ek. ridou .
7631 waran : so h1S . C . Wd . GS .; GrimmKemble. FltmUller. Boatenvekwwron.
7631 anmode : so MS . C . WQGS .; S . ami ode; Holthau sm [1920a] suggests leohtmode.
763] land : so hiS . C . WU . GS .; Eum411er. Rieger emend earl

763] ridaa : so MS . C .Wd. GS .; Grimm. Kemble.Eumilller.Boutenvek ridon; MS. ri- on erasure.

7641 Scyld bu be nu, pu byre nib genesan mote ! : so MS . ASPR; MS . wi th erasure of one letter after nu; Kemble
Scyld 0u 0e, nu 0u 0isne ni0 genesan mote; Grimm. Bouterw ek Scyld pu be , nu pu pixie nib genesan mote; Rieger
emends Scyld be be nu I * I peat pu 8isie n it) I genesan mote; Sweet [1884; 1967] (thinking the erased letter is a
cross ed thorn abbreviation for b(eet )) emends Scyld 8u be nu, p eat p u 0}5ne ni3 genesan mote! ; Hohhausen [1920a]
emends scyld bu be ..... nu pu ni8 8ysie genesan mote; Hohhau sen [1951] emends Scyld 3u 6e nu pa ..... gif
bu nib bysne genesan mote! ; Ewnal ler scild pu be nu pa, p ixie n ib gen esan mote; GS .Stuart Scyld o n be nu, I bu
8}5ne ni0 genesan mote (so also C . G. S . but wi th no indica tion ofm i d-line caesura).
7641 8y me : so MS .; Kemble. Ri eger bisne; Grimm. Fxtmilller pixie.
7651 herinne : Stuart her inne .
766] scylde : so MS . C . WQ . GS .; EtimUller scilde .
7671 hyra : so ASS . C . Wd . GS .; Eumt]Ilerhira .
7671 : fol . 175v beg i ns.

768] sedan : so MS.C .WB .GS .; Grimm. I{emble.Ettmia11 er. Bouterwek sendon.

230

Ic him oberne
770
10

fleogende flan(e)

forane togeanes .

Ut, lyte[1] spere,

gif hit herinne sy!

/ Sa t smib,

sloh seax,

lytel iserna,

wundswide.

Ut, lytel spere,

775

eft wille saendan,

gif herinne sy!

Syx smibas sitan,

Ut, spere!

waelspera worhtan.

naes in spere!

Gif herinne sy

isenes del,

769 1 o3eme : so MS.C.WQ .G S .; Bouterw ek o3ere.

769] sandan : so MS.C.WU .GS.; Grimm.Kemble.E ttm8 11er. Bouterwek sendan .
770 ] flan(e) faan e
so MS.C.ASP R G S .; Grimm Kemb le.FumUl ler.Sweet [1 967] . Doane. flan forane; Wright
8cHa 11iw e 11 . Rieger. Wu.G. S . flanne foran e; Stuart emends foran e flan um.
771] lyte ll] : so ASPR StuaR em en d; MS. lyte a t end ofli ne with 1 obliterated by a stai n ; Doane lyte.
77 11 h it herume : MS . hit h er inn e; Bouterw ek. Rieger em end h er inne.

77 1 ] sy : so MS.C. WU .GS.; Grimm.EttmUller. Boutetwek sie.

772-3 ] SO smi3, s l op seax, lytel isema, I wundswibe : MS . seat smi3 slob seax lytel isema wun d swibe. These lines
h ave received m any d^jere nt treatm ents: Wri ght & Halliwell Sit smi8, slob seax lytel 11 isema wind wide; C. seat
smi 0 sl ob seax lytel isema wan d sw i3e; GS . seat smi 0, slob seam lytel isema, wand sw ibe; Sweet [ 1884] emends
Sat smi8 slob sea x lytel iseme wund swi de; Sweet [ 1967] em ends S it smi o, slob sea x lytel I
iseme w Lmd
sw i ae; Grimm.Ettm illler. WO. G. S . Stuart assum e some omission Saes smi8, ()slob seax lytel, 11 * "" s isema wund
svi0e; Bouterwek emen ds Sat smi 8, slob sea x lyte l ' isema wnde svi de; Rieger Saet smi3, slob sea x lytel, 11 isema
wnd sviae (and no b- verse), b u t also proposes emendi ng Sit smi0, I sl ob seax lytel, isema vra 3ost [or vrwtGoost] I
vundtum svi0e; AS PR em ends Sit smi0, sl ob sea x lyte l, "' isema, I wundrum swibe; Holthausen [ 1 9 20a] emends
seat smi8 ana, sl ob sea x lytel, I w eard isema, wundrum swi0e, bu t later [195 1] proposes seat sniff ana, I slob an seax
lytel , wslspere isem, wundrum svi8e.
774 1 sy : so MS . C . Wfl.G S .; Grimm.Ettmalla. Boutenvek sie.
7 7 5 - 8 1 ] MS . a different han d divides these words with vertical drypoint li n es th us: syx smi 0as safer I w wlspera
wo
to Were nss in spare gif herame sy isenes del hwgiessan geweorc hit sceal gemyhan gf Ni wire m fell
sooten o8be ware on flasc scden I o86e were on blod scden I o$8e wire on li d scoter 1.
Though Doane rem arks that these verti cal li nes "do n ot necessarily correspond to conventional metrical or rhetorical
units" and specu lates "Did somebo dy once strike the manuscript with rhythmical apotropai c gestures ma de with "a
little Imife"7" , i t may be noted tha t only one of the nine vertical lines (that fottowmg sceal) does not fall at a likely
m e trical boundary (b e i t fu ll- or h alf- li ne). The vertical li ne after sceal m ay be m isplaced then - it ought perhaps to
follo w the next word (gemyhanJ at the end of the fill li ne. (Note that C. - the only editor to reprodu ce these m arks
om its this problem atic vernca l li n e after steal (his sceall - th e erro neous last -I of which is possibly a m is take for this
verti cal li ne))

775 ] Sync : so MS.C. WU .GS .; Griaun.EUmil]ler. sex.

775] swan : so MS .C . Wfl .GS.; Grimm.EttmBller season.
775 ] worhtan : so MS.C. W4GS.; Grimm. Kemble.EttmaIl er. Bouterwekwoititaa.
77 5 ] Syx sni8as saetan, I wwlspera wofitan : so most editors; Rieger Syx smi8as swan I ' I^ vwlspera vorhtan I
776] Ut, Were ! nas m spare ! : so C. Wo.; MS. utspene nwsmspere; Grimm utspene, nas musper+e; Kemble ut spare, nos
inspere; Gr.GS. emend ut, ut spare ! I nos in spare!; Bouterwek emends Ut spare, nes inn, gene!; Holthausen [1 9 20a]
emends ut, lytel spare, I nas in, spare!; Hohhausen [1 951] emends (and misprints) ut lytel spare, pees in, sere!
776 ] m : so MS.; Ettmoll er inn ; Bouterwek em en ds inn.
777] sy : so MS .; Grimm.Ettma ller. Bouterw ek sie.
777] isenes : so MS . C . WQ.G S .; C,rimm. Wright&Ha l l iw el l.Boutenvek isemes; Ettmaller. Ri eger.Holthause
[ 1 9206]. Sedgefiel d AS PR .Stuast emen d isemes.

23 1

hxgt.essan geweorc,

780
20

hit steal gemyltan.

Gif & wire on fell scoter,

We wire on fl-wsc scoter,

o68e were on blod scoter,

[oNe wire on lien scoter],

We wire on lid scoter,

nifre ne sy din lif atxsed.

Gif hit wire esa gescot,

obbe hit ware / ylfa gescot,

We hit wire haegtessan gescot,

Isis 6e to tote esa gescotes,
785

bis 0e to tote ylfa gescotes,

ais de to tote hxgtessan gescotes;

25

nu is wille On helper.

Fled p(ee)r

on fyrgenhaefde.

Hal westu !

helpe bin Drihten .

is bin wille helpan .

Nim pon(ne) p(eel) seax; ado on waetan.

77 8] hee&ssan geweorc, hit scea l gemyhan :so most editors; Rieger Hmgessan geveorc j * hit soeal gexnyhan j ' .
778 ] soeal : so MS . W& GS.; C. sceall (see n. above).

77 8 1 gemyhan : so MS.C.WD.GS.; F.ttmQller gemilt an .

779] bu : so MS .C. WQ.GS.; Grimm.Ettmi(I ller bu.
780 1 [Dade were an ban sooten] : om . MS.; suggested by Grimm a nd followed by m any editors including Wu.S. an d
G S . (but notably neith er C n or ASP R).

7811 wire : so MS.WU .GS.; C. pyre.

781 1 sy : so MS. C . WB .GS.; Cnimm.Eri rm]ller. si .
7 8 11 lif : so M S. C . WD .G S .; Bouterwek em ends lit
7 8 1 ] atiesed : so MS.C. WB . GS .; Ri eger ataseo.
7 821 : fol . 176r begi n s.
7831 is wil le bin helpan : so MS. C . WB .G S .; Wri ght & Ha lliwell nu is wil le bin helfan; EtImdll er. Rieger (who reads
MS. helfan) is dm helpan ville (likewise L 785). Doane misreads w ill for MS. wille.
783 ] bin h e lper : so MS .C. WB .G S .; Hohh ausa^ [1 92 0 6] emends h elper bin ; MS. -p- in helpan resem bles f.
7847] Stuart remarks that "Ow gto ink-fade, parts of this section in the MS are almost illegible". However, alth oug h
th e i nk has faded, th e text can still be read and th ere is no doubt as to th e MS. readings.

784] bole (first) : so MS. with b- just discernible; Stuart emends [b]ole.
7 8 5 ] is bin w il l e h elper : so MS .C. Wfl.GS .; H ohh ausen [192 06] emends is wi lle h elpan bin .
7 86-7] Fled a(i )r on fyrgenh eefde. Hal westu ! I helpe bin Ikihten .: so MS. with p(ae)r being Pr with overline
a bb reviation bar, and fyrgenheefde divided fyrgen hiefde by line-en d There have been many different edi torial
readi ngs of these li nes: Grimm Fled beet on fyrgen * * * * 11 heafde hat westu, helpe Pin I?ryhteu! an d suggests
supplyi ng seo bane flan sceat (or srnde) after fyrgen (and so Eum^lller em ends); Wri ght & Halliwell Fl ed pr on
fprgm! h aefde ha lwestu ; Kemb le Fled der on fyrgen! heafde hat westu ! I Helpe bin dnhtea !; Bouterwek emen ds Fleo
G eer on firgan seo pa fl ar e sende! Oo heafde hat vertu! He lpe p in dryhten !; Rieger Fleo per on fyrgeu I * hwfde ha (
vertu, h elpe bin dr}fiten !; C . Fled por on fyrgen h aefde I halwes to J helpe bin drtht ; BT. (u n der fyrge n ) emends
Fl et [ M S . fl ed] por on fyrgen hwfde, bu t note also (u nder for) Fled (fled?) bor (? pr MS.) on fyrgen hwfde
(fyrgenh eafde?); Wil. em e n ds Fleoh Oeei on fyrgen ...... heefde hat westu. Helpe bin drUen !; G . eme n ds Fleoh p er
on fyrgen, seo pa flane sonde ! Hea fde h at westu ! Helpe 8m dnhtzn !; Sweet [1 88 4] em ends Fleo lon fyrgenheafde; 11
hat wes-tu ! h e lpe bin dnlrien !; SkemQ [19116 : 2 9 3] emends Fleoh jr
mflan an fyrgenheafde! I Hal wes tu ! Helpe bi n
drititen !; Sedgefiel d emen ds Fleoh per on fyrgen, I seo pa flare sonde; II h eafde h at westu, I h e lpe bin Drihten ;
AS PR. Sw eet [196 7] em end Fleoh per' s * on fyrganheafde. I[ Hal westu, I helpe bi n driliten !; Gr. emends Fleah per
an fyrgenh olt: fyrst ne h eefde. 11 Ha l wes to nu . He lpe bin dnhten ; so too GS., bu t with h aefde misp rin ted haefde; S .
emends Fleoh per on fyrgen-heaFde. 11 Hal wes tu . H elpe bin dnhten; Hotthausea [ 1920b] suggests for 1 . 786 fleet j r

eon
I fyrgen -stream bar pu fri bu hiefdesl, but later [19 5 1] proposes fleoh per to fame I on fyrgenheafde!; Stuart Fled
peer I on fyrgan hsefde. I Hal wes in, I helpe 0m drilitat; Sandmann emends Fle[oh) lheonan] I bi er on fyrgenh[ea]fde! {I
Hal westu, I helpe bin drihtea !; Doane misprints I. 786 fled pyre on fyrgen hwfde.
788] This line am. Sedgefield.
788] Por (no): so MS.C.WQ .GS.; Stuart Pori .
788 ] waetatt : so MS.C.Wfl .GS.; Kemble waetere.

232

[CXXVIII] Wi8lusan, sealf: commuc, clofbung, raDdic, wermod, ealra efenfela; gecnuca to
790

duster gecned wi8 ele ; smyre mid ealne done lichoman.

ICXXIXI Ni(m) eac meldon 6a wyrt; gewyrc to Juste wide smale; do in hat wester, syle
drincan; Bona ba Lys / 7 obre Lytle wyrmas swyltab.

[CXXX] Ni(m) eac wermod 7 marufian 7 wyl gelice micel ealra; wyll in wine We on
geswettum wwtere; gedo priwa on pone nafolan; pon(ne) swylte8 8a Lys 7 o8re Lytle
795

wyrmas.

[CXX?CI] Nim eac cylendran wi3 Bon; wyll in eala swipe; smyre mid b(wt) heafod.

[CXXXII] Gif hrybera steorfan: do in haligwwter grundeswyligean 7 springcwyrt 7

attorlaaan neoawearde 7 clibwyrt; gent on done mud; sons by batigeab.

789] WO : MS . W- is a decora ted i nitial wynn, three li nes deep i n inner m argin.

789 ] gernuca : MS. after this word and above the li ne a later hand writes do, (om . C.LGS .).
791 1 Entry CAXIY. There is no indication in MS. that this is a distinct entry.
79 21 Lys : MS. on run -ove r.
79 2] : fo l . 176v begins.

79 31 Entry CKI'Y: There is no i ndication in MS. that this is a distinct entry.

793 1 wyl : so MS.LGS .; C. emends wyr ("myrtle) (see Comm entary).
794] svyhe8 : MS . may be on erasu re.
796 ] En try =I: Th ere is no indication in MS. that this is a distinct entry.
796 1 smyre : so MS . L G S .; C. smire.

7971 Gif ; MS G- is a capital, two lines deep in outer margin.

233

[CXXXIII] Wyp lungenadl e hriberum : pa / wyrt on wordigum (heo bib gelic hundes
800

micgean amore wyrte) per wexeb blaco bergean eal swa micele swa o8re pysbeana, gecnuca;
do in haligwaeter; do pon(ne) on mub paem hryperum.
Genim pa ylcan wyrte; do in glede, 7 finol 7 cassuc 7 godeweb 7 revels; bum eal
toso(m)ne on 6a healfe be se wind sy; last reocan on done ceap.
Weorc Criste[s]mael of cassuce fifo; sets on feower healfe pis ceapes 7 an to middes.

805

Sing ymb pone ceap: "Benedicam D(om)in(u)m in omni tempore" usque in finem, 7
"Benedicite" 7 letanias 7 "Pater noster"; /sued on haligwwter; barn ymb revels 7 godeweb,
7 geeahtige mon bone reap; syle bone teopan pxnig for Gode; lit sypban beotigean; do bus

priwa.

[CXXXIV] Gif sceap sy abrocen, 7 wi8 faersteorfan : caesteraesc, elehtre, wulfes camb, finol,
810

stancrop; wyrc to dusts; do in haligwaeter; gent in pmt abrocyne sceap 7 stred on 8a our

priwa.

799 ] Wyb : MS , th e bowl of th e decorated xynn is completed by another h and; the wynn is two lin es deep and partly
i n ou ter m argi n ; C . LS .GS . wip.

799] : fol. 1 77r begins.

799] w ordigum : so MS. C .L S .; GS . em end w or8igum
800] blaoo ; so MS. C . L ; G S . em en d bl aca .
8 00 ] pysbeana : so MS . C . L ; GS . emend pysan .
8 0 1 ] do : MS. d- alter edfro m t

802] glede : MS . fast -e- correctedfrom o.

804] Criste [s]mel : C .LS .G S . emend Cri es mil; MS. cristemiel with thefirst part ofthe -m- resem bling the top part
ofa low s.
806 : fol. 177v begi ns.
807] geeahlige : so MS. LGS.; C. geahtige.
807] Iict : so MS.C. L ; GS. WE
807] beoti gean : so MS.C. L ; GS . emend boti gean .
8091 G il : MS . G- is a decorated (or m erely crudely corrected from another letter?) capital, partly in outer m argin.;
MS. an erroneous guide-letter wynn, and possibly an erased guide-letter yogh in ou ter margin .

810] do : MS . fai nt.

810] opur : so MS . C . L o ur (C. "understand as opere"); GS. emend opru .

234

[CXXXV] Wid poccum 7 sceapa hreoflan: elehtre 7 eoforfeam neo6eweard, sperewyrt

ufanwearde agrundene, greate Beane; cnuca ealle tosomne swipe smale in I hunig 7 in
haligwaeter, 7 gemengc well tosomne; do in mud mid cucylere ane made, prep symle ymb
815

ane niht; nigon si8um gif micel pearf sy .

[CXXXVI] Wi3 swing fxrsteorfan: dog in heora mete; seo8 [c]li[t]an; syle etan; nim eac
elehtran, bisceopwyrt 7 cassuc, 0efeporn, hegerifan, haranspicel; sing ofer feower mwssan;
drif on fall; hoh da wyrte on feower healfe 7 on an lore; bum; do revels to; lit yrnan ofer
pone rec.

820

[CXXXVII] Wia peofentu(m):

Luben luben niga. / efia niga efib fel ceid feldelf fel comer orcggaei ceufor lord giug fang
pidig delou delupih.

[C?XXVIII] Wi3 hondwyrmmum : scipteron, swefl, pipor, hwit sealt; ma!ngc tosomne ;
smyre mid.

8121 Wi8 : MS . MS . W- is a decorated initial wynn, two and a half lines deep and partly in outer marg in ; a guideletter wynn precedes in outer margin.
812 1 neoaeweard : so C . L ; MS . neoae weard (divi ded by Ime-end); GS . neofteard.
8131 : fol . 178r begins .
816] Wid : MS . W- is a decorated ini tial wynn, two lines deep and partly in inner margin; a guide letter wynn above
thi s in inner marg i n.
816] doa : so apparently (the letters are evenly spaced) TiS .; so also LG .; C . S . GS . do a.
816] [ c]ti[t]an : so GS . emend and remark "a less likely emendati on would be glcPdenan "; MS . C . LS . glidan .
817] msssan : N4S . omi tted at first and added sub sequ ently i n the outer margin by the same hand.
8181 Imt yman : M S . Iatyr nan, with one letter (0) erased between -r- and -n-; y- above line, and-n- poorlyformed.
819] pane : so MS . C . LGS .; S . Da ne.
8201 W : so MS . (W- being aplam enlarg ed initial wynn, partly in inne r margin); S . W .
820] beofentu(m) : so MS .; GS . misprint a bb reviation peofartum .

8211 feldelf : MS, a dot below the second -e-.

821] : fol. 178v begins.
821 ] orcggaei : so MS . S .GS.; C . LG. orcgaei.
822] pidig : so MS . C . S.; LGS . widig; G. fidig.
821 -2] G. presents and rearranges these words thus: Luben luben niga I efio efi8 niga I fel ceid fel, I delf wmer fel I
lei ceufor lord, giug fang fidig I delou delupili .
823] Wia : MS . W- is a decorated minal wynn, three lines deep and partly in outer margin.
823] hmdwyrmmum : MS . -n- corrected from an o th er le tter by partia l era sure.

235

825

[CXXXIX] Eft: wex, swefl, 7 sealt; maengc; smyre mid

[CXL] Gif naegl of honda weorDe: nim hwxtene corn; gecnuca; mxngc wig hunig; lege on
bone finger; wyll slahpornrinde; pweah mid by drience.

[CXLI] Wig hwostan: wyll curmeallan wyrtruman; wyrc to Juste; / syle him on wine
drincan; sons se hwosta blinne3 .

830

[CXLII] Wib magan wyrce 7 gif he bib toblawen se inno3: wringc pollegian in ceald waster
We in win; syle drincan; him bid sel.

[CXLIII] Wi3 bon be wif fmrunga adu(m)bige: genim pollegian 7 grid to Juste 7 in walls
bewind; alege under past wif; hyre bib Bona sel.

[CXI.IV] Wib peor: rose 7 rude, elene 7 feferfuge, raDdic 7 bisceopwyrt, saluie 7 sauine,
835

eferarote .

[ CXLV] Eft oiler: fanu 7 feferfuge, garleac 7 radic, ellen- / rind inneweard 7 cyrse, netele,
pipor, mints pe wyx3 be pyre ea; nim mealteala; ofgeot ba wyrta nygon niht 7 syle drincan
ny.xtnig .

825] E ft : MS. a later capi tulum sign precedes th is.

826] Gif : G is a plai n initi al yogh, two lines deep and partly in outer margin.
826 1 hweetene : MS. t- irregularlyformed with a straight back perhaps altered midformation.
826] hun ig : MS. -n- co rrect edfrom r by partial erasure.
827] pweah : MS . ^- untidily correctedfrom a wynn.
82 8 ] : fol . 179r begins.

828] VViO : hiS. W- is a decorated ini ti al wynn, two lines deep and partly in outer margin.
83 0 ] WO : A4S . W- is a decorated initital wynn, two li nes deep and partly in inner margin.
83 01 he : so MS.; GS. suggest em ending hinL
83 0 ] toblaw en : MS . to blawm divided over li ne-end with approxi ma tely three le tters erased after to-; -bl aw en m ay
be on an erasure.
83 2] W i 0 : MS . W- is a decorated initial Wynn, two an d a hatjlt nes deep an d partly in inner m argin.
832] 7 (second) : so MS. LGS .; o m . C.
8341 En try GIZIV: From here to foL 190v (in clusive) in a differen t hand.
834] MS. th is entry is b racke ted off in inn er m argi n (probably by a later hand, and certai n ly after the text was
written).
8 36 ] MS. thi s en try i s bracke ted off (like the previou s one) m id-line.
836 ] fanu : so MS. C . L ; GS. eme nd fans.

8361 / :fol. 179v begins.

83 8 1 nyxtni g : so MS. C . L., MS . with -t-above li n e o n caret m ark; GS. emend nyidigum; C. re m arks "read nystig .

236

[CXLVI] Gifu wille wyrcean godne draenc wib TIc inyfel, sy hit on heafde, sy per hit sy,
840

pon(ne) genim pu saluian leaf 7 rudan leaf 7 heldan leaf 7 finoles 7 cerfillan leaf 7
hegeclifan leaf 7 persoces leaf 7 reades wales leaf, ealra efenfela; cnoca by tosomne 71ege
on wine We on hluttran ealab, 7 wring pon(ne) of pa wyrta, 7 nim pon(ne) / hunig be daele
7 swet pone drwnc; drinc nine pon(ne) anre tide wr pu be wine blod laDtan; bepa be pon(ne)
pa hwile to hatum Eyre 71xt yrnan pone drmnc into xlcan lime; gif pu him wnige hwile

845

befylgest, Du ongitst p(mt) he is frymful to beganne.

[CXLVII] Wi2f metecweorran: genime eorbgeallan; drig to duster scad on eala oboe on swa

hwaet swa bu drincan wine; be bid set.

[CXLVIII] Wig paet man ne mage slapan: genim haennebellan sad 7 tunmintan seaw; firer
togaedere 7 smyre p(ast) hcafod mid; hi(m) bid set.

839] Gif : MS. G is a capitalfollowing a space after nyxtnig,

839] MS. nota sign in outer margin.
839] xIc ui}fel : so MS.C. (though C. remarks in footnote "read celc yfel or cclcum yfele"); LGS. emend Wlaun yfele
(L reads MS. as slcm yfel, GS. as aelcmyfel).

842] ealab : MS. -ad in inner margin at a slant.

8421 : fol. 180r begins.
8461 WO : MS. W- is an enlarged initial xymn.
846] genime : so MS.C.L; GS. emend ganim
848] MS. rota sign in outer margin.
8481
848]
848]
849]

mage : so MS.C.; LGS. meege.

sad : MS. accent sign over -^-.
firer : MS. -r- above line.
set : MS. on run-over.

237

850

[CXLIX] / Don(ne) be mon merest serge D(wt) in reap sy losod, bon(ne) cwed bu merest aer

pu elles hwaet cwepe:

"Bx81eem hatte seo buruh
Seo is gemaersad

be Crist on acxnned waes.

geond ealne middangeard;

swa pyos did for monnum

mire gewurpe,
purh pa haligan Cristes rode. Amen . "

855

Gebide be pon(ne) priwa east 7 cwep pon(ne) priwa: "Crux (Cristi) ab Oriente reducab";
gebide be bon(ne) priwa west 7 cwed bon(ne) briwa: "Crux (Cristi) ab occidente reducat";
g(e)bide be bon(ne) briwa su0 7 cwep priwa: "Crux (Cristi) ab austro reducat"; gebide
pon(ne) briwa nor 7 cwea / briwa: "Crux (Cristi) ab aquilone reducab"; "Crux (Cristi)
860

abscondita est et inuenta est; ludeas Crist ahengon, dydon daeda pa wyrrestan, hxlon D(wt)
by forhelan ne mihtan; swa beos did nwnige pinga f[o]rholen ne wurbe, burh pa haligan
Cristes rode. Amen" .

8 50 1 Entry CALYX' This entry am. L

850 1 : fol. 180v begins.
8 50 1 bm (ne) : D- is an enlarged initial.
8 5 2 1 buruh : MS . second ascender ofsecond -u- is badly formed.
8531 gemomd : so C . Wt]. G.GS.; MS. ge mwn sa d (dnvded by line-end) with subpuncti ng o (written above) for -a(possibly by a different han d); AS PR . S . getnffsod.
8 5 4] pyos : M S. -y- is poorly form ed and m ay be a correction from another letter (u ?).
8 56 ] cw eb : so MS . C . WB . G .AS PR; S .GS. cwe3.
8 56 1 reduca0 : so MS . C . S .ASPR; WD .G.G S . emend redu cat
8 58 ] g(e)bi de: MS . a letter erased after g.

8 58]
8 58]
8 59 ]
8 591
86 1 ]

ovep : so MS. ASP R; C. WU.G.S.G S. ave3.

gebi de : so MS.C. WTa. S .AS PR.GS .; G. emends gebide pe.
: fol. 181r begins.
reduca8 : so MS. C. S .ASPR; WO .G.GS. emend reducaL
swa : riS. the jock of-s- is faint.

8 6 1] tj o] rfi olan : so ASPR . GS . emen d; MS. S . fefi olen ; C .Wil.G. foriio len .
8 61 ] h a li gan : MS. -i- above line on caret m ark

238

[CL] Contra oculor(um) dolor(um):

D(OMI)NE s(an)c(t)e, Pater om(ni)p(oten)s, aeterne D(eu)s, sans oculos hominis istius N.
865

sicut sanasti oculos filii Tobi et multorum cecorum q(uo)s .... ; D(omi)ne, to es oculos
caecor(um), manus aridorum, pes claudor(um), sanitas egrorum, resurrectio mortuorum,
felicitas martyr(um) / et omnium s(an)c(t)onun; oro, D(omi)ne, ut eregas et inlumnas
oculos famuli tui N.; in quacumque ualitudine constitutum medelis celestibus sanare
digneris, tribuere famulo tuo N., ut armis iustitiae munitus diabolo resistat et regnum

870

consequatur aeternum; p(er).

[CLI] Domum foam, q(ue)s(umus), D(omi)ne, clementer ingredere et in tuorum tibi

cordibus fidelium perpetuam constitu[e] manstionem, ut cuius edificatione subsistit huius
fiat habitatio preclara.

86 3 ] Contra ow lor(um ) do l or(um) : MS. this heading is written in differen t metallic ink, apparently (thoug h GS.
disagree) by the sam e hand as th at of the mai n text. The lettering is also thicker than that of the main text. GS . (p.
182 n . 7) rem ark that "th e ink, silver on bla ck, h as tun", but the ink is rath er red lead which, when oxidized, gives a
blu rred, silvery effect.
8 6 3] do l or(um ) : so MS. S .; C . L dolorem; GS . emend dolorem.
864] D(OrF)NE : so MS . DNE (plu s overli ne a bbreviation bar), with NE fuseci, the capital D- is partly in the inner
m argi n and written i n red lead i nk.
8 64 ] a eteme : M.S . a e- is e cau data.

86 5] q(uo)s : so MS .C. LGS.; S . emends quod.

865 1
8 6 5]
8 66]
866]
8 66 ]
86 7]
8 67 1
86 81

q( uo )s .... : som e words appear to have dropped out here, though there is no gap in MS . - see Commentary.
ocul os : so MS.; C. LS . GS . em end ocu lus.
ca ecor( um): MS. -a e- is e caudata.
d audor(um ) ; so MS.C. S .G S .; L daudorem.
resurtecti o : so MS . C . S .; L GS . ressuredis.
: fol . 181 v begi ns.
inlumnas : so MS .; C . (silen tly) LG S . em end mlumm as; S . em ends inlummes.
ua litudm e : MS. approxi m ately two letters erased after -a-.

86 8] medelis MS. an I erased before -1-.

8 69 ] tri buere : so GS .; MS . tri bo ars (divided by line-end); S . emends tribu e.
8 69 ] iusiitiae : MS . -a e is e cau data.

870 ] aet emum : MS. ae- is e caudata.

870 ] p(er) : MS. some letters filling the rest ofthe line are erased after this.
87 1 1 Domum : MS . D is a capital in (oxidized) red lead ink, partly in outer margin,
87 1] q(u e)s(umus) : so MS . qs with overline bar ofabbreviatron; C . LGS . qua eso.
8711 clementer : MS , appran m ately four or five letters erased above the line.
8 72] ooostitu[ e] mmnstim em : MS.C. L (though C . would read oonstituas mansionem) con stitua(m) manstionem; GS .
em end oon stituas man sionem.

239

[CLII] Gif hors bid gewraeht, pon(ne) scealt pu cwepan as word:

875

"/ Naborrede uncle uenisti" tribes uicibus; "Credidi p(ro)pter" tribes uicibus; "Alpha et o,
initium et finis"; "Crux mini uita est et tibi mor, inimici"; "Pater noster".

[CLIIIj [Wig cyrnel:]

Neogone wa"eran

Nodpaes sweoster.

Ira wurdon pa nygone to VIII, 7 pa VIII to VII, 7 pa VII to VI, 7 pa VI to V, 7 pa V to

880

IIII , 7 pa IIII to III, 7 pa III to II, 7 pa II to I, 7 pa I to nanum.

his Pe lib be cyr[n]eles 7 scrofelle[s] 7 weorme[s] 7 xghwylces yfeles; sing "Benedicite"
nygon sibum .

[CCTV] Isis meeg horse wib bon Pe him bid corn on pa fet:
/ Geneon genetron genitul catalon care trist pabist etmic forrune naht is forrune
885

nequis annua mans s(an)c(t)ana nequetando .

8 74] Gifhors bid ge raiht, bonne) scea h pu cwepan bas word : h4S. in (oxidized) red lead ink
8741 bib : so MS.C.L.GS.; S. bib.
8 7 4 ] cw eban : so MS; G S . sw eban.
875 1
fol. 182r begins.

875] Na borrede uncle uenisti : so MS.C. L.G. S.GS; Stua rt emends N, abor[ere] , rede uncle uenisti.
875] o MS. accent sign above.
876] mor in imici : so hIS.; C.L. as MS. (though C. remarks "rea d mors in imice? inimico?"); G. emends moss inimico;
GS. emend mots in imi ce.
8 77] [ Wi t) cym e l] : M S. follows Neogon e wwran i n (oxidized) red lead ink; a leafdecoration is drawn next to this.
8 78 1 NoBpaes : MS. n ob mss.
879 ] nygone : MS. -g- correctedfrom n by partial erasure and alteration.
88 0 111 11 (twice): so MS.C.GS.; L. IV.

8 8 1 ] lib be : MS. Kemble libbe.

8 8 11 be : so MS.C.L; GS. emend beo.
8 8 1 cyr[n] eles : MS. cyrn neles (divided over line-end); Kemble cymneles; C. I,.G.GS. cymeles; S . emends cymeles.
8811 scrofelle[s ] so C.S. emend; MS. scrofelleF Kemble.LG.GS. smofelles.
881 weorme[s] so L..G.GS. S. emend; MS .C. weortnep (though C. would read wyrmes); tremble weormes.
883) pis maeg horse wi8 pm pe him bib corn on pa fet : MS. in (oxidized) red lead ink
8 84] fol . 1 82v begins.
8 84] genetron : MS. capital G- partly in outer margin; first -n-perhaps alteredfrom m.
884] Wahl is : so MS.C.L.GS.; S. nahtia

240

[CLV] Gif hors bill gesceoten:

"Sanentur animalia in orbe terse" et "ualitudine uexantur"; in nomine D(ei) Patric et Filii et
Sp(iritu)s S(an)c(t)i extingunt diabolus p(er) inpositione(m) manum n(ost)raru(m) ; "Quas
nos separauimus a caritate (Cristi)?" p(er) inuocatione(m) omnium s(an)c(t)oru(m) tuorum,
890

p(er) eum qui uiuit et regnat in s(e)c(u)la s(e)c(u)lor(um) . Am(en) . "D(omi)ne quid
multiplicati scant". 111.

[CENT] / Gif wif ne maege bears beran:

Solue, iube, D(eu)s, ter, catenis.

[GENII] Ab arliculorum dolorum constantiu(m) malignantiu(m), [medicine] :

895

Diabolus lignauit,
angelus curauit,

D(om)in(o)s saluauiL
In nomine... Am(en) .

8 86 ]
8 86 ]
8 871
8 88 1
8 881
89 8]

G if h ors bib gl en : MS. i n (oxidized) red lead i nk

bi b : so A TS.; S . bib.
Sanentur : MS. capital S- pa rtly i n outer margi n.
S( an )c(t)i : MS . added above the linee alingtmt : so MS. C . L. (though C . would read etinguah^t): GS . emend e-%tm guaua.
manum : so hiS .C. I_ S . (though C . wou ld read manuum): GS. emend manuua^

898 ] Quas : so MS. C. LS.; GS. emend quis; Stuart emends qui.
8 99 1 separauimus : so MS . C . LS .; G S . em end separabit; Stuart emends separauiL
890] s(e)c(u ) la : so MS.C. L GS.; S . secvlo.

892] : fol. 183r begins.

892 ] Gif wif ne ctuege beam beran; so MS. C.LS .; MS . in (axidr:ed) red lead ink, GS. transpose these words to the
top offal. 185r.
893 ] Solue iube : so MS. C . LS .; G S . transpose iube solu e; lliS. S- is a capitol
8 93 ] ter : MS . on e or two le tters are erasedfollowing th is before catatis.
893 ] c at en is : N-IS, after a point the words contra dolaum dentium follow, that are transposed to L 899 in this
edition.

8941 Ab : so MS (wrth A- a capital); C. LGS. emend A[d].

894] dolorum oonstantiu(m) malignmntiu(m) : so MS .C.L ; GS, emend dolaem oonsYantz:n mali giantem.
89 4]
aft er
8 93 ]
8 98 ]

[medicinal : so G S . transpose a lso transpose from \ 15 . posi ti on after L 898 nomme - they note "tvrmgly placed
in nomme MS.C.L "
l ign auit : so MS . L; C .G S . emend ligauiL
In n omine : MS . followed by the word medicu^a, which is transposed to L 894 in this edition.

241

[CLVIII] [Contra dolorum dentium]:

900

(Cristus) sup(er) mamoreum sedebat; Petrus tristis ante eum stabat, manum ad maxillum
tenebat, et interrogebat eum D(om)in(u)s dicers:
"Quare tritis es, Petre?"
Respondit Petrus et di xit :

"D(omi)ne, dentes mei dolent."

905

Et D(omi)n(u)s dixit :
"Adiuro to / migranea uel gutty maligns p(er) Patre(m) et Filium et Sp(iritu)m
S(an)c(tu)m et p(er) celum et terrain et p(er) XX ordines angelorum et p(er) LX
p(ro)phetas et p(er) XII apostolos et p(er) 1111or euangelistas et p(er) om(ne)s
s(an)c(t)os q(u)i D(e)o placuerunt ab origine mundi, ut non possit diabolus nocere ei,

910

nec in dentes, nec in sores, nec in pal[a)to, famulo D(e)i, ill(i) non ossa fra[n]gere, nec
carnem manducare, ut non habeatis potestatem nocere ill(i), non dormiendo, nec
uigilando , nec tangatis eum usq(ue) LX annos et unum diem. "
Rex pax nax in (Cristo) / Filio . Am(en) . Pater roster.

8 99 ] [C ontra do l onun dentium] : so C . LGS . tran spose this heading from i ts TIS. posi ti on after L 893 catenis
8 99 ] dolorum : so T4S . C .L; S . GS . emen d do lorem.

900] mamoreum : so MS; C. L. S . GS. mannoreum.

90 11 intertogebat : so MS . C .; Lmterrogabat; S .G S . em end interroga bst.
90 2] irit is : so MS. C . L ; S .GS . emend tristis.

902 ] es : so MS.C. S . GS .; L et.

90 3 ] Respondit : MS . R- i s a capital, partly in inner margin.
90 4 5 ] D(omi)ne, denies me i dolent; et D(omi )n (u )s dixit : so MS.C.GS.; om . 1906 1 : fo l . 1 8 3 v begins.
907_8] at p(er).X{ ordines an gel orum at p(er) LX p(ro)ph ztas : so MS. C . GS .; om. L
908 ] I I I Ir : MS . IIII with -or wri tten above and not certainly by the same hand (GS . say by a "later hand"); L IV.
9 10 ] p e l ato : so C . LS . em e nd; MS . pa lpato; GS. emend pal atum.

91 0] fra [n] gere : so C. LS.G S . emend; rRS . frager e.

910 ] nec (third) : MS. -c correctedfrom o by partial erasure.
9 11 1 nac : so MS.C. S.; L GS. ne.
913] : fol. 184r begins.

242

[CLIX] D(eu)s, qui dixisti, "Uenite ad me om(ne)s qui laboratis et honerati estis et ego
915

reficia(m) uos", hos famulos twos laborum suoru(m) premio rice sempiterno; p(er)
D(omi)n(u)m .

[CLX] Wi8 utsihte : pysne pistol se angel brohte to Rome pa by wxran mid utsihte
micclum geswxncte . Writ pis on swa languor bocfelle p(mt) hit merge befon utan p(mt)
heafod, 7 hoh on baes mannes sweoran be him bearf sy; him bib sons sel:
Ranmigan adonai . Eltheos. mur. 0 ineffabile . 0 miginan. midanmian. misane. /limas.

920

mode . mida. memagartem . Oita min. sigmone . beronice. irritas. uenas quasi dulab .
fervor. fruxantis . sanguinis . siccatur. fla. fracta. frigula . mir gui. etsihdon. segulta.
frautantur. in arno. midomnis. abar uetho. sydone . multo. saccula pp pppp. Bother.
Bother. miserere mei D(eu)s D(eu)s mini . D(eu)s m(ei). AMEN. All(eluia), All (eluia).

914]
9151
9151
917]
91 R]
919]
92 0 ]
92 0]
920]
92 0 ]
92 01
92 0]
920]

D(eu)s : M S . D- is a capi tal.

laborum : TLS . -b- correctedfrom p by partial erasure.
rcfice : MS. -f- approach es a p in form .
Wi8 : MS . W- is a decorated initial xynn, two lines deep and partly in inner margin-, S . wip_
befon : MS, accent sign above -o-.
heafod : MS . -o- correctedfrom e 6y partial erasure and alteration : -d is also a correction.
Ranmigan : R- i s a cap ital.
E llheos : E- is a capital
O (first) : MS . accent sign above.
O migjrtan : so MS.; C . LG. S. GS . Omi ginan.
midanmian : so MS.C. S .G S .; G .L. mid anmian .
mis ane : MS. a dot below -a-.
: fo l . 1 8 4v begins.

92 11 me^nagartnn : so MS. with 4-far nh, S . mamagartem.

921] dulaa : so MS.C. LS .GS.; G. dulap.
922] mir gui : MS . (divided by !me-end); C. L G. S . GS . mirgui.
9 2 3 ] mi docrnis : so MS .; C.LG. S . G S. midoninis.
9231 ueth o : MS . wi th accent sign above -a
923] sa ow l a : so MS.C. L G.GS.; S. sacculo.
923] pp pppp : MS . th e last fou r letters have a horizon tal li ne through their tails, presuma bly being the con traction
fo r Lat. per.
924] Both er (secon d) : MS . an accent sign above -o- (om . C).
924] m(ei) : MS in with i written ab ove ; C . L.. GS . mi.
924] AMEN : MS . in attempted Greek uncials (L. calls them "unverstkidliche 7,zich en J : S . A Q N Y.
924] All (eluia^ All (eluia) : MS . following these words the res t of the side (enough space for four lines of text) is left
blank.

243

925

[CLXIJ / Se wifman se hire Gild afedan ne maeg: gange to gewitenes mannes birgenne 7
steppe pon(ne) priwa ofer pa byrgenne, 7 cwepe pon(ne) priwa ,as word:
"Pis me to tote

pyre lapan lxtbyrde;

Pis me to bole

paere swx-ran swaertbyrde;

is me to bole
930

pyre laban lambyrde . "

7 pon(ne) p(at) wif seo mid bearne 7 heo to byre hlaforde on reste ga, pon(ne) cwepe heo:
"Up is gonge,

ofer pe steppe

mid cwican tilde,

mid fulborenum,

nalaes mid cwe[1]endum,

nales mid faegan."

7 pon(ne) seo modor gefele p(mt) p(mt) bears si twit, ga pon(ne) to cyricaq 7 pon(ne) heo
935

toforan an weofude come cwepe pos(se) :

"Criste, is suede,

pis gecypea."

925 ] En try CLXI : Thi s en try om. L

9 2 5 1 : 1'0l . 1 85 r begi ns.
925] G S . transpose (a nd mispri nt) 1. 892 gif wif n emege beam betas from its position at the top offol. 183r in MS.
to form the headi ng to this en try (or related series of three e n tries).

923] Se : MS. S is a capital, partly in inner margin.

926 ] pos(se) ffirstl : Kemble tame (and so 8 for b often).
926 avebe : so MS . C. WO .; GS . aveae.
9 2 61 bonn e) : G S . m ispri n t abbrevia tion borm e.

928] swaran : so MS .C . Wd .GS ,; Holth ausen 1 1 95 1] suggests saran.

9 2 8 1 swwrtbyrde ; so C. WU .GS .; MS. sweert byr de (byrde divided by lin e-e nd); ASPR emends swaerbyrde; Ho hhausen
[ 1 95 1 ] .M;cch en [ 1 995 1 Sw wrbyrae.

9 30 1 hyre : so MS.C. WU.GS.; Kemble hire.

932] cwe [1] endum : so GS. emend; MS. ICemble. C. R'u. G. S. cwellendum.
93 41 modor : so MS.C. tL'd .GS.; Kemb le moiler.
934 ] bonn e) (secon d) : so MS.C. RAGS .; S . bonne.
93 6 ] Criste is suede pis gecyped ; so MS. C. WtI.GS.; Ho khausen [1 95 1 1 emends Criste, is suede, pis gecyped si .

244

[CLXII] Se wifmon se byre beam afedan ne merge: genime heo sylf hyre agenes tildes
gebyrgenne dael, [w]ry after pon(ne) on blace wulle 7 bebicge to cepemannu(m) 7 cwepe

pon(ne) /:
"Ic hit bebicge,

940

ge hit bebicgan!

Vas sweartan wulle

7 pysse Sorge corn."

[CLXIIIJ Se man se [n]e merge beam afedan: rime pon(ne) anes bleos cu meoluc on hyre
handae 7 gesupe pon(ne) mid hyre mupe, 7 gange pon(ne) to yrnendu(m) wxtere 7 spiwe
pwrin pa meolc, 7 hlade pon(ne) mid paere ylcan hand paes wxteres mud fume 7 forswelge;
945

cwepe pon(ne) bas word:

"Gehwer ferde is me bone mzeran
Mid pysse mWran

maga pihtan.

mete pihtan

pone] is me wille habban

7 ham gan. "

Pon(ne) heo to ban broce ga, bon(ne) ne beseo heo no, ne eft pon(ne) heo paean ga; 7
950

pon(ne) ga heo in oiler hus oiler heo ut ofeode, 7 per gebyrge metes.

93 7] Entry CLYII: This entry om. L.

93 7 ] Se : MS. S- is enlarged.
938 ] [w ] ry : MS . Kemble p ry; C . Wu .G. S . wry; ASPR em ends wry; GS . emend wry, and wrongly note "our scribe
actual l y wrote th e word down cotredl y, but then turn ed th e first letter into a p" - th ough the ascen der is broken, close
i nspection ofMS . shows this to have been caused by the interfere nce ofthe indentation of the precedi ng 1's extended
tail-stroke. Th is caused th e n ib toju mp slightly.

938 ]
93 9 ]
942
942]
942]

bonne) on : so MS . C . WB.GS.; Kemble Don or.

: fol . 18 5v begi ns.
Entry CLl'lll: This entry om. L.
Se : MS. S is a capital in outer margi n.
man : so MS .C. S . StuaR; Kemble. Wu.G.AS PR GS. emend wifman.

942 ] [nj e : so KWu .G.ASP R . S .GS.Stuart e m en d, MS.C. pe; Kemb le eme nds be [ne] .
9421 handae : so C . S .; MS . h an dee (divided by line-end), Kemb le h ands; Wu.G.GS. emend h ands.
9 441 meolc : so M S.C.G S .; WO . meocl .
946-8] Kemble. C . pe nt these li nes as prose.
9 46 ] ferde : so MS.C.Wil .; GS. emend ferede.

946] ma w paitan : C . WU .AS PR; MS. maga pffitan (divided by Ime-end); GS . magapilrtan; Stuart emends magan
pecan.
9 47 ] mete pihtan : so C. WaG.ASP R . S .Stuart; MS. mete p ili tan d)ih tan divided by li ne-en d); GS . metepilitan .
948 bo[ne ] : so S .G S . eme nd; M S .C. Wu .G.AS PR Stuaft ton(ne); Kemble bon e.

948 ] gnn : so MS.C.WQ.GS.; Holth ausen [1 951] emends gan gan .

949] ne (first) : so MS.C . WU.GS.; om. Kemble.

245

[CLXIV] "Ecce dolgula medit dudu(m) bebegunda brebegunda elecunda eleuachia mottem
mee renu(m) orpa fuepa letaues noeues / terse dolge drore uhic All (eluia)".

Singe man is gebed on D(wt) se man drincan wille nygan sipan, 7 "Pater noster" nigan
sipan .

955

Wib cyrnla.

[CLXV] "Arcus supe[r] assedit; uirgo canabib; lux et ure canabib."

Sing his nigon sipan 7 "Pater p(os)ter" VIM on anum berenan hlafe, 7 syle an horse etan.

[CLXVI] Wyrc lungensealfe: nim cost 7 su8emewuda, hylwyrt, garclife, bete be bid
ansteallet.

[CLXVII] Wib gedrif rum snxg17 afeorma nine 7 nim p(mt) cline fam; mengc wig wifes
960

meolc; syle picgan; hi(m) bib sel.

9511 Ecoe : E- i s a capital. one a nd a halfGees deep.

9 5 1 ] dol gula : so M S .; S . dolgo la, b ut reads do lgula in his commentary.
951 ] el euadiia : MS . o above line on caret m ark

952] : fol. 18 6r begi ns.

9521 leta ues n oeues: so MS. C . LS .G S .; G. late ues noe ues.
9 5 2 ] Al l(elu i a ): S . Al le l uiah .
9 54 ] Wia : so MS.; S . Vl'ip.
9 5 4] Wi 0 cymla : MS . these words follow sib an after a poi n t an d a small gap (about two letters' space). It is
u ncertain wh eth er these words termi nate this en try or (more probably i n my view) begin the n ext - see Comm entary.
9 5 5j Antes : MS. A- is a capita l.

9 5 5] supe[r] : so GS . emend; MS .C.LS. supc'8.

9 55 assad it : so MS . C. LG.GS.; S. asedit.
95 5] can abi8 (twice) : MS . S . canab i 8 ; C. LG. cane bib; GS , emend (twice) cana bis.
9 5 6 ] VIIII : so MS . C . G . S .GS .; L IX.

9 571 garclife : so MS .C . L ; GS. emend gardifan .

9 57] bete : so MS.C.L ; G S. emend betan.
9 58] ansteall et : MS . a gap (space for approximately fou rteen letters) after th is word.
9 59 ] W ib : MS. W- is an enlarged in itial wynn.

246

[CLXVIII] Wib horsoman 7 mannes: sing is priwa nygan siban on fen 7 on morgen, on
pis mannes heafod ufan, 7 horse on p(act) wynstre care, on yrnendum wwtere, 7 wend
P(wt) heafod ongean stream :
"Indomo mamosin inchorna meoti . otimimeoti quoddealde otuuotiua el marethin. Crux
965

mini uita e(st), tibi morn, / inimici; "Alfa et 0, initium et finis", licit D(onai)n(u)s".

[CLXIX] Wib oman : geni(m) ane grene gyrde 7 it sittan pone man on middan buses
flore, 7 bestric hive ymbutan 7 cweb:
"0 pars, et 0 rilli spars, et pars iniopia e(st) ; Alfa et 0, i(n)itium . "

[CLXX] Arestolobius was paten an cing. He was wis 71xcecrxftig. He pa gesetie forpon
970

godne morgendraenc wi3 eal[I]um untrumnessu(m) De manner lichoman iondstyria3 finnan

o8ae utan .

96 1] W i0 : so MS. (W- bei ng a plain initial wynn, two li nes deep); S. Wip.
96 1 ] h orsoman : M S.C. L..G.S. hors omen ; Ketnb le.GS. hors-oman .
961 ] Pi s: so M S.; Kemble . 8i s (and so 8 for P passim).
9 6 4] quoddealde : M S. fast A- above line on caret m ark
96 4] In domo ... mareth in : Kembl e In domo mamosin . in choma mesh . stun Asti
marethin.
9 64] duu diua : so T4S .; S . otimotiua.
964 ] e l : so MS. S .; C . LG .GS. et

good dealde otuustiua el

96 5 1 e(st) : so MS. (and Kemble); C .LG. S .GS . eL

965 1 :fol. 186v begi ns.
965 ] mimici : so MS . IC C. LS.; G. emends inimico; GS. em en d ininiice.
966] W i8 : so M S . (W-bu ng an en larged initial wynn) C. L G S .; S . wip .
966 ] gen i( m) : GS . m ispri nt abbreviation genini.

966] bone : so MS.C.LGS.; Kemble Hale.

966 ] man : h4 S . approximately eight or ni ne letters (nearly hatjihe line) are erased after this word.
966 ] on mi ddan : so MS.C.LGS.; G. auniddan .
96 7-8] aver O : MS. cwe0 o; L cwe0o.
96 8 1 0 pars, el O ri1G spats :Alfa et O, initium : so MS. S .; Kembl e Opars et orelli .pars et pars iniopi a. e(st^ alfa et o.
i (n )iti um; G. O pars et o ri llia pars et pars iniopi a est alfa et o initium; S . O pars et o rilli spars et paw iniopia. esi alfa et
o initi um.
968 ] rilli npacs : so MS.; C . L. ri llia pars; GS . em end uili a pars.
9 68] i(n )itium : S . suggests (and GS. supply) et finis after this word.
969] Aresto lobius : MS . A- is a capital, partly in outer m argin.
969 ] lieoecrse ftig: so MS. C.; L GS . lecoeerse ftig.

970 eal[l]um : MS. call lum (divided by line-end); C. eal lum; LGS. emend ealhun.

247

Se draenc is god wi0 heafodecce, 7 wid brzogenes hwyrfnesse 7 weallunge, wid seondre
exe, wig lungenadle 7 liferwerce, wid seondum geallan 7 pyre geolwan adle, wib eagena
dimncssa, / 7 wid earena swinsunge 7 ungehyrnesse, 7 wig breosta hefignesse 7 hrifes
975

apundennesse, wid miltan wxrce 7 smxlpearma, 7 wig ornum utgange, 7 wig Don De mon
gemigan ne maege, wid peorece 7 sins getoge, wiO cneowwxrce 7 fotgeswelle, wig Sam
micclan lice 7 witf oprum giccendum blece 7 peorgeride 7 xghwylcum attre, wid xlcre
untrumnesse 7 xlcre feondes costunge .
Gewyrc De dust genoh on hwrfeste 7 nytta pon(ne) De Dead sy.
Wyrc pon(ne) draenc of pyssu(m) wyrtum: nun merces saed drige, 7 finoles sad 7

980

petersylian sad 7 feldmoran sad 7 felterran sad, p(ast) is eor8geallan, diles sad 7 rudan
saed, cawelsaed 7 cylle- / [n]dran sad 7 feferfuigan saed 7 twa mintan, p(ast) is tunminte 7
horsminte, 7 betonican sad 7 luuestices saed 7 alexandrian sad 7 saluian sad 7 slarian saed
7 wermodes sad 7 saeperian saed 7 biscopwyrte sad 7 horselenan saed 7 beolonan sad, p(mt)
985

is hxnnebelle, acrimonian saed, p(mt) is garcliue, 7 stancroppes sad, marubian sad, p(ast) is
harehune, 7 neptan sad 7 wuduhrofan saed 7 wudumerces sad, eoforprotan sad; do ealra
pyssa wyrta efenfela.
Nim pon(ne) pyssa wyrta aelcre anre swa micel swa Para opra twa, b(wt) is cymen 7
cost 7 piper 7 gingifra 7 hwit coda.

972 ] heafodecoe MS . heafod eooe; C. LGS. emend heafodece.

e MS. with -r- above line on caret mark.
972] hwyr&
9731 wi0 (second) : so MS .C.G S.; L. wid.
974] dirtmessa : so MS. C .L ; GS . emend dirnn esse.
974] : fol. 187r begi ns.
974] 7 66rsl) :so MS .LGS.; om. C.
97 5 ] mm : MS. mon neuron; C. L GS. emend mon.
9 76] gemigan : MS. -mi- above line on caret mark and -g- correctedfrom m by partial overwriting.
976] aeoreee : so MS.C. L.. (though C. L suggest Peohece); GS. emend peoh eoe.
9 77 ]
97 7]
9 80 ]
9 8 1]

oprum : so MS . C . L ; GS . emend Durum.

gi ocendum : so MS.C. L ; G S . gieoan dum.
Wyrc : so MS . L G S .; C . pyrc.
fehecran : MS . three orfou r letters are erased after this word.

9 8 2] cylle [n]drnn : MS .C. L. type lendran (split at end of recto side) (C. thinks "At the turnin g of the leaf the writer
wavered between celendra n and cylebenian"); GS. emend cyllepenian.
9821 : fol . 187v begins.
9 88] pon(ne) : GS . misprint abbreviation pours.
9 89 ] MS.C. L gingifre; GS . emend gingifre.

248

990

Wyrc pas wyrta ealle to swip[e] smalan duste 7 do pis dustes godne cucelere / fulne on
ane scaencecuppan fulle cealdes wines 7 syle drincan on nihtnyhstig; nytta pys drwnces

pon(ne) De pearl sy.

[CLXXI] Gif man style mugcwyrt to l=edome habban, pon(ne) rime man pa readan
w,Tpnedmen 7 pa grenan wifinen to la:cecraefte.

995

[CLXXII]

is deah wig fotece: genim elenan moran 7 eferprotan moran 7 doccan moran;

wyll swibe well on buteran; dreahna ut burh wyllene clab; laet colian aefler; smyre syppan
P(wt) geswel ; him bid sons sel .

[CLXXIII] Wib hwostan : hu he missenlice on man becyma 7 hu his man tilian steal :
Se hwosta haefb mTnigfealdne tocyme, swa as swat beo3 missenlicu; hwilum I he cymb
1000

of ungemxtfxstre hwto, hwilu(m) of ungemetfaestum cyle, hwilu(m) of ungemaetlicre

waetan, hwilum [of] ungemaetlicre drignesse.

Wyrc dra:nc wia hwostan: genim mascwyrt; seo3 on cyperenan cytele 7 wyll o33wt heo
sy swipe bicce, 7 heo sy of hwaetenu(m) mealte geworht; genim bon(ne) eoforfearnes mist,
biscopwyrt, hindhaelepan, dweorgedwostlan , singrenan; do eall on fit; syle drincan
1005

middeldagum, 7 forga sur 7 sealtes gehwxt.

990] sw ib [ e ] : so C . L GS emen d; MS swiaan .

990 ] :fo l . 1 8 8r begi ns.
9 9 11 cea ldes : C. q ueries whether this shou ld be ealdes (see Commentary).
99 1 1 pys : so M S.C. (th oug h C . notes "for byses") L GS. em end pyres.
9921 pearF: MS . accent sign above -ea - (added later).
99 31 Gif : hiS . a later capi tulum sig n precedes th is word with i n the text area and an other follows at the en d of the
li ne in outer margi n.
99 3] mugcwyR : so MS .C.GS ; L m ispri n ts umgcwyrt.
99 5] his : M S. a later capi tulum sign precedes this word.
996 ] wyllpn e :145. a bove li n e i n smaller letteri ng on caret m ark
998] Wia : MS . W- is a decorated initial ^tynn, two li n es deep in inner m argin.
999 1 : fol. 18 8v begins.

1 000 ] cyle : so MS. C. L ; GS . mispri nt cycle.

1 0001 hwi lu (m) (second) : GS . m ispri nt abbreviation hwilunL
1 000 ] ungertucxlicre : so MS.C. L ; GS . ungemetli cre.

] 001 ] [o!] ungemad licre; so C. L GS emend; MS. of ofun ge meetl icre (scribal dittography; ge mietli a e divided by
line-end).

249

[CLXXIV] Wib hwostan eft : genim hunan ; seod on wwtere ; syle ova wearme drincan .

[CLXXV] Eft: genim clifwyrt - some men hata6 foxesclife, some eawyrt; 7 heo sy geworht
ofer midne rumor; seob 3a on wxtere obbwt ******[LACUNA IN MSI****** / gepigce.

[CLXXVI] Gif waennas eglian mien wt pyre heortan: gange mwdenman to wylle pe rihte
1010

east yrne 7 gehlade one cuppan fulle fora mid dam streame, 7 singe pwron "Credan" 7
"Pater poster"; 7 geote pon(ne) on oiler fit, 7 Made eft ore 7 singe eft "Credan" 7 "Pater
poster", 7 do swa D(wt) Du haebbe prep; do swa nygon dagas; Bona hi(m) bib rel.

[CLXXVII] Wi0 heortwwrce: rudan gelm; seob on ele 7 do alwan ape ynsan to; smyre mid

py; b(wt) still pxm rare.

1015

[CLXXVIII] Wid heortece: gif him on finnan heard heortwwr[c] sy, pon(ne) him wyxst
wind on

ere heortan 7 nine pegeb Durst, / 7 bib unnuhtiglic.

Wyrc him pon(ne) stanbwb, 7 on pwm ete superne rzedic mid sealte; py mpg seo round
wesan gehTled.

1006] Wid : MS . is a plain initial wynn, two lines deep in outer margin.
1007] Eft : so MS . C . GS . ; L oft; MS . E- is a capital.
10071 foxesclife : so C. GS. ; MS. foxes clife; L. foxesclive.
10081 "" geb icge : MS . one (probably not more than one) folio has very likely been lost after fol. 188 - see
further Commentary; gepicge is almost certainly not the conclusion ofthis entry.
1008] : fol . 189r begins.
1008] gep igce : so MS . C . L; GS . gepicge.
1009] Gif : MS . G- is a capital.
1009] paeie : so MS . C . LGS . ; Kemble bwre (and so often o for p) .
1009] rihte : so MS . C . LGS . ; Kemble nlit.

10101 Credan : so MS . C. L,. GS .; Kemble Credo .

1011] ogre : so MS . C. LGS. ; S. o0re.
10111
1013]
1015]
10 151
10161

Crcdan : so MS . C . LGS . ; Kemble Credo .

Wi0 : MS . W- is an enlarged initial Wynn.
Wi8 : MS . W- is an enlarged initial %5,nn.
heomvsrfc] : so GS emend; MS . hecet weeroe; C . L heortwaerce .
: fol . 189v begins .

1017] him : MS. some letters are erased aver this at the end ofthe line.
1017] py : so MS .C. L ; GS . emend mid py.

250

[CLXXIX] Wib heortece eft: genim gibrifan; seob on meolce; syle dri[n]can syx dagas.

1020

[CLXXX] Eft: neobeweard eoforfearn, gi8rifan, wegbraedan; wyl tosomne; syle drincan.

[CLXXXI] Wib breostnyrwette: pus steal boon se l=ecraeft geworht, D(wt) man rime ane
cuppan gemeredes huniges 7 healfe cuppan claenes gemyltes spices, 7 mxngc on gemang
b(wt) hunig 7 p(mot) spit togaNdere, 7 wylle hit obbxt / hit beo wel briwpicce, forpan hit wile
hluttrian for pan spice 7 drige mon beans 7 grinde by sy8pan 7 do pTrto be pis huniges
1025

mope, 7 pips hit syppan swa swa man wille.

101 9 1 Wia : MS . W- is an en larged medal wynn.

1 0 1 9] dri[n ]can : so LGS . emend; MS.C. drican .
1020] Eft : MS. E- is a capital.

1 02 0 ] eoforfeam : so MS. C.; I..G S. eoforfam .

1 0 211 WO : W- is a plai n initial wyv+n, two li nes deep in outer m argin.
1 0 22] mangc : so MS. C . L ; G S . em end mer ge.

10231 : fol. 190r begins.

25 1

[CLXXXII] Ivry dagas syndon on geare be we Egiptiaci hatad, b(wt) is on ure gepeode
"plihtlice dagas", on barn natopxshwon for name neode ne manner ne neater blod sy to
wanienne; p(mt) is pon(ne) utganggendu(m) barn monpe be we Aprelis hata6 se nyhsta
monandxg an; pon(ne) is oiler ingangendum barn monpe be we Agustus hatab se aeresta
1030

monandaeg; pon(ne) is se pridda se aeresta monan&g aefler utgange paes / monpes

Decembris .
Se Pe on pysum prim dagum his blod gewanige, sy hit man, sy hit nyten, pis Pe we
secgan gehyrdan, D(wt) Bona on Dam forman daege oppe barn feorpan doge his lif gewnda6,
oppe gif his lif lxngre bib, p(mt) he to Dam seofopan doge ne becymb, We gif he hwilcne

1035

drwnc drincb pa(m) pri(m) dagum his lif he gexndab binnan XV dagum; gif hwa on is
dagu(m) acxnned bid, yfelu(m) deabe he his ill geTnda8; 7 se be on pys ylcum prim
dagu(m) gore flaesces onbyrigeb, binnan feowortiges daga fyrste he his lif gewnda3.

1 0 2 6 ] Dry: MS . Ia- is a decorated i nitial, five lines deep i n i nner m argin.

1 0 2 8 ] utgan ggendu(m) : so MS .; C . utgan gan dum; L GS. emend utgangan dum.
1 0 2 8] nyhsta : MS. -h- has a curved appendage at the top ofi ts ascender.
02 9 1 an : MS. an accent sign above a-.
1 0 2 9 1 pon(ne) : G S . m ispri nt abb reviation bonne.
1030] : fol . 190v begins.
1 0 32 ] Se : MS . S- is a capital, hob li nes deep in outer margin.
1 0 3 5 ] pis : so M S . C .; L.GS . em end pisum
1 0 3 6 1 bys : so MS.C.; L. (with footnote marker in text om itted) GS. emend pysum
1 0 3 7] MS . at the bottom ojthis leafa later (probably thirteenth -century) hand writes:
rote
wort walai

wo rt

. leau e&
Uume .

252

[CLXXXDI] / + In nomine Patris & Filii & Sp(iritu)s S(an)c(t)i . Am(en) .

N. In adiutoriu(m) sit salvator. N.

1040

D(e)o celi regi regum nos debem(us) reddere

gratiaru(m) actione(m) adque se petere
ut a nobis lues isti huius pestis careat
et in nobis quam donauit sales uera maneat .

Ih(es)u (Criste) me, N., defende p(er) [team] potentia(m)

5
1045

adque nobis nunc extende benignam clementiam,

quia soles ipse pote[s] prestare auxiliu(m)
to petentibus ex toto corde donare p(re) sidiu (m) .

[Patre(m)] pium dignu(m) ueru(m) su(m)mu(m) adque optimu(m)

io
1050

ter rogam(us) audi preces famuloru(m) famularu(m)que tuaru(m) .

D(onu)ne Ih(es)u (Criste) uite alts subueni auxilio
& salutis tee pelts defende p(re)sidio su(m)mo .

1 03 81

1 038]
1 03 8 1
1 042 ]
huius.
1 0441

:fol . 191r begi ns .

Entry CLM7ll: This entry is in a different hand.

+: MS . the remains ofa cross are in the inner margin; so S.; om. C. LGS.
isti huius : so L. S., MS . istiliuius with h- above line on caret mark, C. emends istius huius; GS . emend ista
me : MS. first minim ofm- formedfrom an ascender.

1 0 44] p(er) [team] : MS p{erVetua ; C.LS.GS. emend de perpetua

1 044] potenlia (m) : so MS .C. LS .; G S . emen d po centia .
1 046 1 quia : so MS.L.S.GS.; C. qua

1 046] pole[s] : so GS, emend; MS.C.LS. potent.

1 046 1 prestare : so MS .C.L. S.; GS. pretare.
1 04 8 1 [ Pa tre(m)] : MS.C. L. S .GS. su (m)ne digi epatte(m).
1 050 ] a lts : so MS.C.L. S .; GS. emen d a lte.

253

& digne to obs[ec]ro intende a[d] [ilia]

mei Gordis, adq(ue) peto angeloru(m) milia
15

aut me, N., saluent ac defendant doloris igniculo

& pote- /state uariole ac p(ro)tega[n]t mortis a periculo.

1055

Tuas Ih(es)u (Criste) acres nobis inclina clementi[e],

in salute ac uirtute intende potentie;
ne dimittas nos intrare in hanc pestilentiam,
20

1060

sed saluare nos dignare [per] potentia(m) tuam.

Filii D(e)i uiui Ih(es)u (Criste) qui es cite dominator

miserere adque nos huius mundi saluator.

D(eu)s libera illam, D(omi)ne, de languorib(us) pessimis & de periculis huius anni;
quia to es saluator omnium (Criste) qui regnas in s(e)c(u)la; fiat sanitas D(omi)ni sup(er)
me, N. Am(en) .

10521 obs [ec]ro so MS . C . L. S . obscvro ; GS . emend obscura .

1052] a[d] [ilia] : MS . C . L. S . ardiana ; QS . emend ad arcana .
1054] act : so MS . C . L. S ; GS emend trt.

1054] igiiculo : so MS . C . L. S; GS . igniwla .

1055] : fol . 191v begins .
1055] p(ro)tega[n]t : so GS . emend; MS . C . L. S . prategat
10561 clemaiti[e] : MS .C . I,. S . GS clemantiam
1059] dignare : so MS . C . L. S .; GS . emend diva .
1059] [per] : om . MS . C . LS . GS .
1060] Filii : so MS . C . L. S .; GS . emend fili .
10611 mundi : MS . mun- slopes downwards at line-end
1063] D(omi)ni : so MS .C . L.. ; S . domine; GS . emend domine .
1063] sup(er) me : so MS . sup me (with cross- stroke abbreviation on descender ofp) S .; C . L. GS . supreme .

254

1065

Brigitaru(m) dricillarum tuarum malint uoarline dearnabda murde murrunice domur

brio rubebroht .
S(an)c(t)e Rehhoc & S(an)c(t)e Rehwalde & S(an)c(t)e Cassiane & S(an)c(t)e Germane
& S(an)c(t)e Sigismundi regis gescyldA me wig ba lapan poccas 7 wib ealle yfelu . Am(en) .

[CLXXXIV] / BENED ICTIO HE[RBIARVM:

1070

O m(ni)p(oten)s sempiternae D(eu)s qui ab initio mundi omnia instituisti & creasti tam
arborum generibus quam erbaru(m) seminib(us), quib(us) (et)iam benedictione tua
benedicendo sanxisti eadem, nunc benedictione holera aliosque fructus s(an)c(t)ificare ac
benedicere digneris, ut su(m)mentibus ex eis sanitatem conferant mends & corporis ac
tutelam defensionis eternamque uitam;

1075

per

saluatore(m)

animarum D(omi)n(u)m

n(ost)r(u)m Ih(esu)m (Cristum), qui uiuit & regnat D(eu)s in s(e)c(u)la s(e)c(u)lor(um).
Am(en).

10651 Brigitaru(m) : so MS . C . L. S . GS . (!hough C . would read "Brigita" and remarks that "the oomipR Latin could not
be safely emaided") .
10651 dricillarum : so MS . L. S .GS .; C . ancillarum
1065] uoarline : MS . on erasure, with one letter erased before u- ; uoarli ne (divided by line-end) .
10651 deamabda : MS . -b- imperfectly formed, looking more like h .
1067] Rehwalde : so GS . ; MS . reh walde (divided by Gne-end); C . L. S . ehwalde.
1068] Sigismundi regis : so MS . C . L. S . ; GS . emend sigismunde rex.

1069) / : fol . 192r begins. Folios 192r- 193 L 2 are in a different hand.
1069] BENEDICTIO HE[RB]ARUM : MS . BENEDICTIO HEBRARUM in faded (?)red ink
1069] HE[RB]ARVM : so GS emend; MS . HEBRARVM; L. misreading V as in, Hebrarium; C . HERBARVM; S .
emends HERBARI7M, and misreads MS . Hebrariurn.
1070] Om(ni)p(den)s : MS . Q is a capital, partly in inner margin in faded (?)red ink.
10701 senVitemae :MS . -ae is e caudata.

1071] erbaru(m) : so MS. S.; C. L. GS . herbarum

1072]
1073]
1074]
1074]
1075]

holes : so MS . L. S . GS .; C . olera ; MS . h-above line on caret mark.

su(m)nnentibus : so MS . ; C . L. S . GS . sumentibus.
defensionis : MS . a hole damages the top ofthe first -s-.
animanun : MS . damaged by water, though -marum is clear.
regnat : MS . faint - probable water damage.

1075] D(eu)s : so MS .S .GS .; C .L. dominos.

255

ICI,XXXV] A,L,IA :
D(eu)s qui h(ec) holera que tua iussione & p(ro)uidentia crescere & germinare fecisti,
(et)iam ea benedicere & s(an)c(t)ificare digneris, & precamur ut quicumque ex eis
1080

gustauerint incolomes p(er)maneant ; p(er) .

[CLXXXVI] / BENEDICTIO VNGVENTVM :

D (eu)s Pater om(n)ip(oten)s & (Criste) Ih(es)u Fiji D(e)i rogo ut mittere digneris
benedictionem foam & medicinam celaestem & diuinam p(ro)tectione(m) sup(er) hoc
unguentu(m), ut p(er)ficiat ad salutem et ad p(er)fectione(m) contra om(ne)s egritudines
1085

corporum (uel) omnium membroru(m) intus (uel) forts omnibus istud unguentum
sum(en)tibus .

1077] ALIA : so MS . in badly faded (?)red ink (water damage).

1078] D(eu)s : so MS . (capital D enclosing -s and an overline bar) S . GS.; C.L. dominos; MS . D- is a large capital in
faded (?)red ink, partly in inner margin.
1078] iussione : MS. the top ofthe first -s- has suffered water damage .
1078] fecisti : MS . faded by water damage.

]081] :fol. 192v begins.

This entry is stamped MVSEVM BRITANNICVM.
1081) BENEDICTIO VIVGLJEIV"I'VM : so MS. in faded (?)red (?) ink; MS. BE- is particularly faint, but is legible; S.
emends UNGUENTI.
10821 D(eu)s : so MS.GS.; C.L. domimis (C. with domine in footnote); MS. D- is a capital enclosing -s with an
overline bar - m faded (?)red ink.
10821 Filii: so MS.; C . L. S.GS. emend fili .
10821 rogo : MS. only traces of-o remain.
1083] Ueaiedidionem : MS. with -em illegible.
1083] foam : MS . with a letter erased before this word.
10831 celaestem : MS . -ae- is e caudata.

1083] & (second) : MS. damaged.

1084] p(er)fedime(m) : MS. second -e- is farm and there are only traces ojthe final overline bar.

256

[CLXXXVII] ALIA :
In nomine Patric & Filii & Sp(iritu)s S(a)nc(t)i & p(er) uirtutem Dominica passionis &
resurrectionis a mortuis, ut s(an)c(t)ificent(ur) tuo uerbo s(an)c(t)o & benedicentur om(ne)s
1090

fideles cum gustu huius unguenti aduersus om(ne)s nequitias in mundorum sp(i)r(i)tuum &
contra ualitudines & infirmitates qua corpus affligunt .

[CLXXXYIII]
arbor

* *** ** * ** * * * *** ** * ** *** * ** * ** * * *** * * * ** * *** ** ^ ***^^x*** * *

* * * ** ** * *** * * * * * ***** * ********* * ***************** * *** * ********** **

sint s(an)c(t)ificati , p(er).

1095

(C LXXXIXJ * ce m **** ** *** ** ** Exduces . I . *E**creas . Isti in * ***es * est *do e

manducare . i pane ordeaceo .

[CXC] Medicina ad cancru(m) : accipe ************************** farina de s(an)c(t)i

****censti **ac *u13u c simul i pate *so * * *tio **** cancri .

1087] ALIA : MS. whole word is faint and -U and -I- have been damaged by two holes; C.L. conclude previous
entry A. A. and supply the heading Benedictio Potus Siue Unguasti; GS emend [AI.IA].
1088] In : MS. I- is a badlyfaded capital in (?)red ink three lines deep in outer margin.
1088] PaVis : MS . with pat- almost entirely obliterated.

1089]
1089]
1089]
1090]
10901

uerbo : MS. -e- is front.

s(an )c(t)o: MS . s- damaged.
benedicentur : so MS . S.; C.L. GS . emend benedicantur.
fideles : MS. f-, -i-. -d-, and -1-damaged.
cum : MS. -m has one too many minims.

1090] sp(iXi)tuum : so MS . C.L.; S . spiritism ; GS. emend spiritwn.

10421 :fol. 193r begins. MS. the top third of this leaf (three or four Irneof text presumably) is missing, and the
remaining text is veryfaint and often illegible. See Commentary for probable identification and reconstruction of
the lost lines.

10921 Entry CLIxYYlII: C. omits this entry.

1093] arbor : so L. GS . also; MS. -b- i s probable, but the ascender was lost with the top third of the leaf -o- is very
probable, though again is slightly damaged; only the base vertical stroke of the second -r remains.
1094] sint : so MS . GS . ; L. fuit.
10941 s(an)c(t)ificati : so MS . L. GS.
1094] p(er) : so MS . L. GS.
1095] Entries CLXxYIX and CXC are in a later hand. C. omits these entries.
1095] in : MS . doubtfu l - top missing; the rest ofthis line is lost.
1095] Exduces : so L. also reads; L. reads Per at the end of this line, but I cannot see it.
1095] seas : so L. also reads .
1096] manducare : so L. also reads.
1097] Medicine ad cancau(m) :reasonably clear i n MS . ; GS . read only medicine.
10971 aocipe : so L. also; MS. the rest ofthis line is illegible.

10971 farina : so GS . also.

1097] s(an )c(t)i : MS. a hole follows.
1098] cancri : so GS . also; MS . two holes precede.

257

[CXCI] A os freint en testes amerusche 7 herbe terestre; Willi en oriel, 7 pius melle od birre
1100

e fet oignem(en)t; e(n) gete le os 7 garist la teste.

1099- 11001 Entry CXCI: This entry is in a different thirteenth-century hand and clearly legible; om. C .
1099] A : so MS . GS .; L. Et
1 0 9 9 ] fre mt : so MS . GS .; om. L.
1 099 ] teste : so MS . GS .; L veste.
1 09 9] ameivsdie : so MS . GS .; L can only rea d A1 099 1 7: so MS.GS.; om. L
1 099 ] terestre : so MS.GS.; L. verestre.
10991 ori el, 7 : so MS . GS .; L. mi elz
1099] p ies : so MS.GS.; L puffs.
1 099-1100 ] birre e fem.: so MS.GS .; om. L
1100 ] oig n em(en)t : so MS.GS.; L. ori ginem.

11 00] en gete le os 7 garist 7 garist la teste : so MS.GS.; om. L.

11 00 ] tes[e : MS . after this word the rest ofthis leaf(space for four lines oftest) is b lank

Fol. 19 3v is so badly faded as to be completely illegible.