Medieval manuscripts

Moderation has always been in style

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Giles of Rome’s De regimine regem et principum falls under the ‘mirror for princes’ genre.  The ‘mirror for princes’ genre is advice literature, meant to instruct rulers in governance, and the morals and ethics found in good government.  This genre dates as far back as ancient Greece, and became popular in Western Europe during the high Middle Ages.  Giles of Rome’s De regimine – if we can take extant manuscripts as evidence – was seemingly more popular than any other ‘mirror for princes’, with the exception of the pseudo-Aristotle’s Secretum secretorum.

 

Giles of Rome, De regimine regum et principum. Italy, (Lombardy?); early 14th century. Call number 10a 212.

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An illuminator’s labors

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This month for #MedievalMonday, we’ll look at 10a 212 – a 14th century Italian copy of Giles of Rome’s De regimine regem et principum.

But because today is Labor Day, no lengthy posts here – just enjoy the labors of 10a 212’s illuminator in these beautiful painted initials.  (For earlier posts about initials, please see They don’t make pen-work like this anymore!; Ghoulies and ghosties and medieval beasties; and Pretty in…purple?).

The crisis: good news or bad?

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In book 2 of Galen’s De crisibus, Galen describes a crisis as “a sudden change in a disease, either towards death or recovery; which last is produced by nature secreting the good from the bad humours, and preparing the latter for excretion.”  In what ways might the bad humours be excreted?

This answer we can find in book 3 of De crisibus.

 

Beginning of book III, folio 22v. Galen, De crisibus libri III, France. circa 1200 – 1250. Call no. 10a 233.

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Flesh v. hair

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Like the majority of the Library’s medieval manuscripts, 10a 233 is written on parchment (animal skin).  It’s not of particularly fine quality, and the difference between the flesh side and the hair side is striking.

 

The difference between hair side (white) and flesh side (yellow), folios 12 – 13. Galen, De crisibus libri III, France. circa 1200 – 1250. Call no. 10a 233.

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On crises

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Galen (129 – circa 200/216) was a Greek physician, surgeon, and philosopher in the Roman Empire.  He was born the city of Pergamum in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey).  His extant works total over 120 treatises and 3 million words, although it is estimated this accounts for only a third of what he wrote.  Although his works were not translated into Latin in the ancient period, they were translated into Arabic.

The Library holds over 200 books in English, German, and Latin related to Galen and his works, including 10a 233: De crisibus libri III (On crises).  The Library’s copy of De crisibus, as mentioned last week, was written in the first half of the 13th-century in France, and is Gerard of Cremona’s translation.  Gerard of Cremona (1113 or 1114-1187) was an Italian translator of books from Arabic into Latin.

 

Beginning of book II, folio 7v. Galen, De crisibus libri III, France. circa 1200 – 1250. Call no. 10a 233.

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We’ll have to agree to verdigris

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Two weeks ago we talked about lapis lazuli and its use in blue inks, although it was not used in the coat of arms in 10a 189 (see the post here).  This week we’ll be looking at the green ink used in 10a 233 – Galen’s De crisibus libri III, in the translation of Gerard of Cremona.

The Library’s copy of De crisibus was written in first half of the 13th century (1200 – 1250) in France.  We will learn more about Galen (129 – circa 200/216) in subsequent posts, but he was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire.

 

Puzzle initial, folio 1r. Galen, De crisibus libri III, France. circa 1200 – 1250. Call no. 10a 233.

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