Astrological-divinatory text, consisting of a fortune-telling game which matches birds to zodiacal signs
- Date:
- Middle 15th century
- Reference:
- MS.79
- Archives and manuscripts
- Online
About this work
Description
Written in a neat French gothic script, capitals picked out in red.
Contents
1. ff. 1r-8v Anonymous astrological-divinatory text
A fortune-telling game which matches 12 birds to zodiacal signs ff. 1r-7r, followed by instructions for playing the game ff. 7v-8v. On f. 1r are sketches of birds with names, and the qualities associated with each bird, and the zodiacal sign. One of the birds is a bat, classified as a bird in medieval encyclopedias
Incipit f. 1v: 'Viues competenter nec queras amplius...'
Explicit: '...deinde divide per 30 partes equales et quod remanebit erit numerus expartem'.
Publication/Creation
Middle 15th century
Physical description
1 volume 8 ff. 4to. 231/2 x 16 cm. On vellum, 18th cent. calf binding.
Acquisition note
Purchased 1936.
Biographical note
Probably written in France.
Finding aids
Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).
Location of duplicates
This material has been digitised and can be freely accessed online through Wellcome Collection catalogue.
Ownership note
Covers stamped in gold with the arms of Louis François de Villeneuve-Trans (1784-1850), archaeologist and historian.
Languages
Subjects
Where to find it
Location Status Access Closed stores
Permanent link
Identifiers
Accession number
- 69327