Western Medieval Manuscripts : Collection of medical, astrological, and theological works

Western Medieval Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'>This two-volume manuscript is a composite of seven parts, whose production ranges in date from the late twelfth to the fifteenth centuries. It is possible, though, that Part 3 (ff. 67r-74v) and Part 4 (ff. 75r-189v) originally belonged together: they may both have been copied by the same scribe, but there are disparities in their layout and decoration that suggest different points of origin. </p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The manuscript contains a large collection of medical, theological, and astrological works in Latin and Middle English, such as <i>The Cloud of Unknowing</i>, a Middle English guide to contemplative prayer composed in the second half of the fourteenth century. Overall, the book lacks any illumination or illustration, however there is fragmentary evidence to show that some had previously been present: during the cataloguing of the manuscript, the remains of an astrological miniature of the Zodiac sign Cancer have been identified on a fragmentary leaf in Part 7 (f. <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(506);return false;'>[242a]</a>).</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dr Clarck Drieshen<br /> Project Cataloguer<br /> Cambridge University Library</p>