Lanfrank's "Science of cirurgie". Edited from the Bodleian Ashmole ms. 1396 (ab. 1380 A.D.) and the British museum Additional ms. 12,056 (ab. 1420 A.D.) by Robert V. Fleischhacker, DR. PHIL. Part I--Text.

Of þe maner of resolutiuis.

Whanne oon strong, or [MS. of.] manye feble of .x. causis lettiþ repercussiuis, ouþir whanne þou hast a repercussif, & þou ne miȝt not putte awei þe mater, þan þou muste leie þerto resolutiuis. & as it is aforseid of repercussiuis, in þe same maner I seie of resolutiuis: whanne a man haþ akynge ouþir greet swellynge, þou schalt leie þerto no resolutiuis, or þou haue maad him a competent purgacioun. ¶ fforwhi, as it is aforseid, enpostym ouþer greet akynge comeþ of causis wiþinneforþ, þan it mote [folio 247a] nedis come of repleccioun of þe bodi. & þan if þou leist þerto resolutiuis, þat wolde drawe to þe place more mater / for þer is no resolutif, þat ne it is hoot / & eueri þing þat is hoot, is attractif / What schal we do in þis caas? ¶ ffirst þou schalt lete him blood, ouþir make him a medicyn laxatif, ouþir boþe two, as þou seest þat it wole spede / And þan þou schalt bigynne for to resolue wiþ medicyns resolutiuis þat been hoot & sotil [Some passages are omitted, in which Lanfranc quotes from his "Chirurgia parva."] // This is þe difference bitwixe resolutiuis & maturatiuis: ¶ Resolutiuis haueþ tempere hete wiþ sotilnes & openynge. [Lat. cum subtilitate aperitiua.]

¶ Maturatiuis haueþ tempere hete wiþ viscosite / Þerfore it falliþ ofte tyme, þat whanne þou leist resolutiuis vpon miche mater & greet, it makiþ þe mater sotil & hoot, & þan þe kindely hete wiþinne is comfortid wiþ þe hete wiþoutforþ, & it bifalliþ ofte tyme, þat medicyns resolutiuis in þis caas makiþ þe mater maturatif / Also if þou leist medicyn maturatif vpon litil mater & sotil it hetiþ þe mater, & þe natural hete wiþinne is comfortid þerwiþ, & so þe heete multiplieþ, & in þis maner þe heete [folio 247b] mai be resolued. ¶ The maner of resoluing: Make a decoccioun of herbis of whiche þow wolt make þi medicyn, & kepe þe watir þat þe herbis ben soden yn, & wiþ þe same watir þou schalt waische þe lyme, til it bicome reed, & þan leie þervpon þe medicyn resolutif. ¶ Herof þou muste be war, þat ofte tyme a medycyn resolutif resolueþ þe sotil mater, & þat þat is greet, bicomeþ hard, & þan þe more þat þou art aboute to resolue, þe more it wole bicome hard / þerfore þou muste be bisi in þis caas & leie þerto mollificatiuis, & þan þou schalt go to resolutiuis, & in þis maner þou schalt worche it til it be al resolued. ¶ Of medicyns resolutiuis, summe ben simple: as, camomilla, Mellilotum, paritaria, malua siluestris & alia, [The Prints read "siue alba." Add. 26,106, siue alba corrected to alia. The correct reading is either alta or altea. Add. 15,236, lf. 5: "Malua viscus. bismalua. Altea idem. G. Wymauve A. mersmauve." Alphita, p. 110: "Malva silvestris, malva viscus, altea ... alta malva idem."] volibilis, [MS. volibilis. Alphita, p. 192: "Volubilis, corrigiola idem, arbores parvas et herbas ligat. gall. [corrigi]ole, angl. berebinde."] fumus terre, caulis, anetum, vrtica, enula, borago, sambucus, kebulus, valeriana, & alle herbis þat ben hoot in tempere, [Lat. temperate calida.] wiþ sotilnes. ¶ De seminibus / Semina caulium, aneti, vrtice, malue. Semina diuretica: cantabrum, [cantabrum, bran. Add. 15,236, lf. 3: "Cantabrum .i. grossum furfur tritici vel frumenti .G. la grose brene."] omne, [Lat.: omne amilum de ordeo.] farina ordei, orobi, & fabe / Pinguede porci & anseri, anatis, galline, aquile. ¶ De gummis / [folio 248a] Mastix, olibanum, opoponac, asa fetida, mirra, serapinum, armonicum, bdellium, galbanum, & alle maner sotil gummis: lapdanum, ysopus humida, terbentina, cera, swetynge of bestis, & buttir. ¶ Medicyns resolutif & compound of þe forseid, simple þou schalt fynde in þe nexte chapitre here tofore / Þis is an oile resoluinge / & makiþ hoot & aceessiþ akynge / ℞, florum camomille recencium, fenigreci seminis ana .[ounce] ij., leie hem in xx .[ounce] j. of oile of oliue in a glasen vessel, & lete it stonde to þe sunne .xl. daies in somer, & þan kepe it for

þin vss. If þou haddist nede herof & if it [if it, above line.] were in winter, þan take þe flouris of camomille dried & fenigrec & oile, as it is aforseid, & sette þis glasen vessel in a caudroun ful of watir, & make fier vndir, & loke þat þe water ne boile not, & so it schal stonde al a dai in hoot water / & whanne it is coold cole it, & kepe þe oile for þin vss / And in þis maner þou miȝt make oile of rosis, if þou hast nede, & oile of absinthium, & of rue, & of oþer mo þat þou hast nede of // Anoþer oile þat is resolutif / ℞, olei antiqui .lī. j., seminis aneti nouiter in vmbra siccati .[ounce] j., putte him in a viol fourti daies to þe sunne, ouþer sette it in hoot water [folio 248b] as it is aforseid. ¶ Anoþer oile þat is resoluyng and makiþ hoot & accessiþ akynge, & is good for to achaufe a mannys reynes & a wommans maris, & it is clepid olium de lilio compositum / ℞, olij antiqui .[ounce]. xx., florum liliorum alborum, & kutte awei þerof al þat is ȝelowe, cassilaginis, [Add. 15,236, lf. 3: "Cassilago, Iusquiamus idem G. geliner A. henebel. vel heneban." The Lat. has Cassio lignea, see Alphita, p. 35.] costi, masticis, carpobalsami ana .[ounce] i., [carpobalsamum, "balsames bloed." Wr. Wü., 199, 41 (X cent.).] cinamoni ana .[ounce] [one half]., putte alle þese in a glasen vessel, & lete hem stonde in þe schadowe al a moneþe, & þan do awey þe lilie flouris of þe oile, & kepe þe oile for þin vss. ¶ Anoþer oile þat is clepid olium mastice, & is swiþe resolutif, & is good for febilnes of þe stomac, & it is good for akynge of a mannes stomac / ℞, olium oliuarum mediocriter maturarum .lī. ij., masticis .[ounce]. vj., boile hem togidere in a double vessel, til þe mastix & þe oile be dissolued, & kepe it for þin vss. ¶ This þou muste knowe, þat whanne þou wolt make þat, þat schal be repercussif & coold & comfortyng for þe lyme, þan þou schalt chese oile þat is not to ripe, as for to make olium rosis, olium mirtinum, & oþere mo. If þou wolt make oile þat schal be resoluyng, ouþer persyng, þan þou schalt chese oile þat is ripe / And in þis maner þou schalt [folio 249a] knowe, wheþer þe oile be ripe or no. Oile þat is not ripe, wole be grene, & þat is ripe wole be whit, & þat þat is in þe meene, wole be meene colour bitwixe þe two. ¶ Oynementis þat ben resolutif ben maad in þis maner: of iiij .[ounce] of [MS. of twice.] oile of camomille ouþer of sum oþer oile & [ounce] j. of wex in somer, & [ounce] [one half]. in winter, & [ounce] j. of poudre of seedis of aneti, caulium, flouris of camomille. ¶ Ysopus humida is a good oynement resolutif, & is maad in þis maner: / Take of þe smal wolle þat is bitwixe þe schepis leggis, & take þerof a good quantite, & take as miche water,

& lete þe wolle ligge in þe watir adai & anyȝt, & þan boile hem a litil wiþ lent fier, & þan cole hem, & whanne þei ben coold, wrynge hem þoruȝ a clooþ, & do þe water þerof into a leden vessel, & boile it wiþ lent fier, & algate meeue it wiþ a spature til it bicome þicke as it were an oynement. ¶ Of enplastris þe beste þat is diaculon Rasis þat resolueþ scrophulas & glandulas, & makiþ carbunculis maturatif & is swiþe comoun / ℞, olij antiqui de oliuis maturis vncias quinque, litargiri .[ounce] j., & þou schalt poudre þe litarge in a morter & do þerto [folio 249b] þin oile & medle hem togidere, & þan do hem in a vessel & boile hem togidere, & meeue hem algatis wiþ a spature, & do þerto de muscillagine seminis lini, fenigreci, ana .[ounce] ij, & muscillaginnem malue visci .[ounce] j, & þan boile hem til þei bicome þicke, & make þerof gobetis & kepe hem to þin vss, & if þou wolt worche þerwiþ, take þerof as miche as þou wolt, & plane it vpon leþer or vpon lynnen clooþ, & leie vpon þe place. ¶ Diaculon Iohannis Mesue is better þan þis / & worchiþ more strongli. Þat þou schalt finde in paruo compendio. ¶ Also anoþer plastre þat is resolutif / ℞, maluarum siluestrum, paritarie, flouris of camomille, Melliloti ana @. j., boile hem in watir til þei be wel soden, & þan stampe hem, & take of þe same watir .iij. partis, & of sum oile þat is resolutif oon parti, seminis caulium, aneti partem [one half]., furfuris, farine ordei, ana partem j., boile hem alle togidere & make þerof as it were pultes, & þan do þerto of þe herbis þat ben soden as miche as of al þe remenaunt, & leie it vpon þe place þat þou wolt, sumdel hoot as it is aforseid, & seke medicins resolutiuis [folio 250a] þat ben in paruo compendio, & do it to, & þan þou miȝt haue medicyns resolutiuis ynowe /