Brescia ms B.V.24 — Bustania, Toffanas, Requerletia, Bosiles
Brescia, Biblioteca Queriniana, Ms B.V.24 is a XV Century manuscript written in North-Western Italy. In this post, I discuss a page published in “Di Sana Pianta”, Modena, 1988. The text of the manuscript is the “alchemical herbal” treaty, the most popular botanic work in XV Century Italy.
Edit 2022: full scans are now available online. The manuscript includes several herbal texts and a bestiary.
The plants discussed in this page have been identified by Vera Segre Rutz (“Il Giardino Magico degli Alchimisti”) as follows:
- Bustania #73 (anchusa officinalis)
- Toffanas #28 (sanicula europaea)
- Requificia #36 (liquorice)
- Bososilles #12 (buxus sempervirens)
Transcription:
Erba bustania a persona che caza in tera de s[ubi]to to la radice |
de questa erba / e fane polvere e dane a bere colo vino a questa |
persona in [con]tanente se drizara in pe come se no lavesse male |
nisuno ceschaduna persona che sel metesse al naso laradice de |
questa erba … subito cazarane in tera como morto / e se tu |
lo vo aydare onzege el polso cum vino o cum aceto resu |
sitarane subito / e non avra malo nisuno trovasse intorno |
la rina de mazo / e q[ua]n[d]o tu la cavj guarda ben che ti non |
te lameti alnaso.
Erba tofanas apersona che avesse malo de polmone to questa erba |
instatori / e in seme li mescola / e coxele cole oue amo de |
vua[?] / e manzela per spatio de 14 di guarisse lo polmone |
e / sana e [co]sa provata per maystro nicholo da pisa / e mayst[r]o |
donato da zeova a ferita de man o de pe de alt[r]o membro |
nuoso[?] to questa erba / e pistela cum soza dorso / e polamette |
in sula ferita instan[tanem]ente salda / |
Nasse in alpi fredi / e in erbazi longi
erba req[er]letia
Erba reteperlitia a malo de kataro og male st[re]ntu[r]æ de petto |
to erba req[er]litia fich[i] sech[i] /e melle e 3 o[nce] biancho v[ino?] … e |
fale coche in aqua e de quela aqua ne beva acaduna persona che avesse |
questo malo de [str]atura de peto / e malo de kataco[?] usala a |
bevere la dita aqua per spazio de 10 di fa lib[er]o[?] tosto . |
A male de bonatio[?] erba liq[eri]z[ia] inpiastrala sul malo in[con]ta |
ne[n]te guarisse quelo male. Nasse in pianura de |
marina in isola de mazo / e questa cosa p[ro]vata.
Erba bosiles afemi[n]a che non potesse p[ar]turire |
tene adosso s[u]p[er]dicta[?] erba la femina latenia sula |
cossa drita in[con]tane[n]te p[ar]turira [co]sa provata / A male |
deogi[?] la … fosse su macula to le foye de questa erba |
i[n]piastrali sulo ogio leva via subito la magia e tenela |
per spacio de 14 di a fare male erba bosolides cosa provata. |
Translation:
The Bustania plant: for someone who suddenly falls to the ground [i.e. en epileptic], take the root |
of this plant and make a powder of it. Give it to drink with wine to |
this person; he will immediately stand up as if he had no illness |
at all. Anyone who put to his nose the root of this |
plant … immediately falls to the ground as dead; if you |
want to help him, oil his wrist with wine or vinegar; he will
immediately resurrect without any harm. You can find [this plant] near |
sand in May. When you pick it, be careful not to put it |
near your nose. |
The Tofanas plant for someone who was sick in the lungs; take this plant |
and the Instatori plant, mix them together and cook them with eggs |
as [?]; eat this for 14 days and it cures and heals the |
lungs; this has been tried by Master Nicolò from Pisa and Master |
Donato from Genoa. For a wound in the hands, or feet or any other |
body part, [?] take this plant and crush it with bear fat [?] and put |
it on the wound; it immediately heals it. |
It grows in cold mountains and wide meadows. |
The Liquorice plant for mucus or chest tightness |
take the Liquorice plant with dried figs and honey and three ounces of white wine [?] |
and cook all in water; this water should be drunk by those who suffer |
of this illness of chest tightness or illness of mucus; drink this water |
for 10 days, it heals in a short time. |
For the “bonatio” [?] illness, plaster the Liquorice plant on the illness, it immediately |
heals this illness. It grown on plains near |
the sea, on islands, in May. It has been tried.
The Bosiles plant for a woman who cannot give birth: |
take the above mentioned plant on yourself, the woman should take it |
on her right tight; she will immediately give birth. This has been tried. For eye |
sickness [?] with spots [i.e. cataract?], take the leaves of this plant |
and plaster them on the eye. It immediately removes the spot; keep it |
for at least 14 days. The Bosolides plant has been tried.
