Popular treatises on science written during the Middle Ages, in Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and English / Edited from the original manuscripts by Thomas Wright.

  • Thomas Wright
Date:
1841
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Popular treatises on science written during the Middle Ages, in Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and English / Edited from the original manuscripts by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    307.] After the tuelf furste dayes that the sed hath whyt i-beo, Hit bicometh to a thikke blod, and changeth his bleo; Neo3e dayes hit thicketh so, forte thon and tuenteothe day, Thanne turneth hit furst to flesche, as the cunde may; After the e^te and tuenti dayes, forme hit gynneth to nyme. So that with-inne fourti dayes hit haveth everech lyme, And in lasse if hit is a knave, for he is of more hete. [grete ; Whan the lymes beoth furst y-maked, hi ne beoth no3t ful A smal web bi-clippeth hit al about e, to holde hit to-gaderefaste, Fram that hit is furst i-kend forte hit beo i-bore atte laste; Al round hit lyth in the wombe, i-buyd as an hare. Whan he in forme lyth, for hit is somdel nare, Al i-buyd the legges, hit nolde no3t elles vie. The heles atte buttokes, the kneon in aither eye, The heved i-boued a-doun-ward, tharmes eke with-inne, Thelbowes to the schare, the fustes to the chynne, Al i-buyd is the rug, so that ne3 round hit is. Man, whar hastou al thi prute ? for ther nis non i-wis. Thu makest the se he3 her, and noman nelt bi-rue, [pue, Loke hou crokede thu were ther, and whar-to thu mutest Thu ne mutest no3t enes holde up thyn heved, ne undo thyn Whannes cometh hit siththe to bere the so he3e ? [e3e, Threosoules ther beoth in echman,and no3t alle i-liche gode. As ic seide 30U er of threo bollen, if understode; In the nythemeste bolle ther the lyvre doth out springe, Ther cometh tuo maner soulen atte bygynnynge. As hit were a maner lyf that sent men velinge. To the lymes al aboute and bringeth hem in waxinge, So that a manes norisschinge and waxinge also Of thulke furste soule cometh, and of the lyvre also; Thulke manes soule is whan hit is ther-to i-bro3t. That manes lymes i-formed beoth that ther ne failleth no3t; Thanne cometh ther-in the hurte, that thother bolle was, A soule that bringeth lyf ther nevere er non nas; Thanne is the child quic anon, of stre^the naveth hit no3t Enes for to wawe, er hit beo forthe i-bro3t; Of thulke soule hath ech man that may wawi and gon, His fullinge of his lyf al and his vyf wittes echon; Thulke soule hath eche thing that mai vele other go, Best, fowel, and eke fisch, and eke worm also. The soule that bringeth lyf is atte hurte grounde, Therfore ho so beo ther i-smyte, he deith in a stounde ; Thulke soule cometh of manes cunde, and thothere also, Therfore whan a man deith, hi deyeth bothe tuo. 3ut ther is the thridde soule that here maister is; For whan a child hath alle his lymes, ech lyme quik is;