Abstract: This volume contains Luminare Maius (The greater luminary), and an antidotarium (book of antidotes), by Joannes Jacobus de Manliis (1490). It is based on the works of the Nestorian Persian physician Yūḥannā Ibn Māsawayh (circa 777–857), known in the Latin West as Mesue, and “other distinguished physicians.” Also included is an edition of Pandectarum Medicinae (Encyclopedia of medicaments) by Matteo Silvatico (also known by his Latinized name, Mattheus Sylvaticus, circa 1280–circa 1342), which consists of an alphabetized list of medications, primarily of herbal origin. Sylvaticus relied and expanded on the work of Simon of Genoa (flourished end of 13th century), who provided a lexicon of Latin, Greek, and Arabic medical terms in his dictionary, Clavis Sanationis. Sylvaticus also drew on the works of earlier Greco-Roman authorities, such as Dioscorides, Galen, and Paul of Aegina (circa seventh century). Other important sources were scientists in the Islamic world, such as the Persian physicians Ibn Sīnā (known as Avicenna in the Latin West, circa 980–1037) and Rāzī (Rhazes in the Latin West, circa 865–circa 925), and the Andalusian scientist Ibn Rushd (Averroes in the Latin West, 1126–98). For each of the 702 entries in this work, Sylvaticus provides the Arabic and Greek names, in addition to information about the medicinal properties of the material or plant in question. As in his Clavis Sanationis, for each letter of the Latin alphabet, a short introduction provides notes on transliteration from the Greek and Arabic into Latin. This edition was commissioned by Octavianus Scotus of Modena and produced in Venice in 1498 by the printer Bonetus Locatellus (active 1486–1523). It is not the earliest extant printing of this work. Other early printings include those from Naples (1474), Vicenza (1480), and Venice (1480, 1492, and 1499). Sandwiched between Luminare Maius and the Pandectarum Medicinae is a short work, Lumen Apothecarium, also by Manliis, which consists primarily of a table of contents for Luminare Maius.Physical description: 253 pages : illustrations ; 30 centimeters
Physical description: Material: PaperDimensions: 155 x 80 mm leaf [128 x 47 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; Arabic pagination in black inkRuling: Misṭarah; 23 lines per page; vertical spacing 19 lines per 10 cmScript: NaskhInk: Black ink; headings, titles and occasional text stops in gold; frames in red, blue and gold; illuminations in black, red, blue, green and goldDecoration: Table of contents on title page (f. 1r) illuminated in black, red, blue, green and gold; kufic
basmalahilluminated in black, red, blue, green and gold in rectangles spanning tops of ff. 1v and 2r;
basmalahilluminated in black, red, blue, green and gold in rectangles at upper margin with foliate indicators in margin towards fore-edge on ff. 21v and 33vBinding: Islamic binding in red leather with envelope flap; blind tooled foliated frame, large corner pieces, medallion and pendants on covers and flap; pastedowns and flyleaves front and back of paper painted bright yellow, varnished and polishedCondition: Moderate damage to leaves due to worms and ink corrosion repaired especially in first half of volumeMarginalia: Owners' notes on title page (f. 1r); very few marginal corrections (e.g. ff. 1v and 23r); one longer not has been preserved during trimming and extends beyond the average leaf dimensions (f. 22v)