Editing The Cure of Bytyng in London, Wellcome Library, MS 411 (ff. 56r-61r)

Abstract

London, Wellcome Library, MS 411 is a codex in one volume which houses a collection of practical treatises and tracts in English and Latin, in verse as well as in prose, on different topics including prognostications, nativities, medical astrology, toxicology, bloodletting, etc. It dates from the late fifteenth century. This paper focuses on the Middle English treatise on venomous bites, held in folios 56r to 61r of MS Wellcome 411, in order to provide an analysis of its main features and to explain the steps followed in the edition of the text, which remains hitherto unedited. The treatise, written in prose, is anonymous and has received little scholarly attention so far. The objectives are threefold: first, to assess the contents, transmission and sources of the text; second, to explore palaeographical and codicological characteristics of the manuscript; and third, to discuss the main aspects of the first edition of the treatise.