Explore UAB

banner reynolds 1900x200

Tractatus de magnete et operationibus eiusWith other tracts

England, 14th century.

View the full text of this manuscript online. Bound together in this volume are the Tractatus de Magnetate et Operationibus eius (the thirteenth-century letter on the magnet by Petrus Peregrinus); a university handbook on the theory of numbers, proportions, and harmony; the seven signs of bad breeding; the seven signs of elegance; and household and medical recipes. Included is one of the oldest known surviving English mead recipes (folio 20r). The manuscript, written on vellum in brown ink with red chapter headings and red and blue initials, has 35 leaves and measures approximately 14.5 cm by 11 cm. Much of the text is in Latin, however, the recipes are mostly in English. The recipes have been transcribed and can be viewed through the various "Folio" pages found here. C. Tidmarsh Major performed the original transcription, which was later revised by Peter Murray Jones (see following note). Original spellings have been maintained; no corrections or improvements have been made. Transcriber’s note: "Thorn has been rendered þ, yogh has been rendered as a g. Words within curly brackets represent the symbols for drachma and ounce. Capitalisation and punctuation follow the manuscript, with a period representing punctus elevatus, a double slash representing a paraph mark, a single slash as found in the manuscript. Bold lettering represents rubricated words. Line divisions follow the manuscript."

Peter Murray Jones, King's College, Cambridge University, October 2001.

View sections from this manuscript:

Mervyn H. Sterne Library

917 13th St S
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-6364

Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences

1700 University Blvd
Birmingham, AL

(205) 975-4821

Reynolds-Finley Historical Library

1700 University Blvd - 3rd Floor
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-4475

Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences

1700 University Blvd - 3rd Floor
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-4475

Lister Hill Library at University Hospital

615 18th Street S - P235 West Pavilion
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-2275

801 Building

801 5th Ave South
Room 1111
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-5432

J. Ellis Sparks Medical Library

301 Governors Drive SE - 3rd Floor
Huntsville, AL 35801

(256) 551-4405

Back to Top