„Iæk hygger thær vm at manghæ takær til | at wære lækæ thæn thær æy kan forthi ha|uer iæk leet sæn lækædom. oc hanum hauer iæk | skreuet“
„Hær byries af howæth wærk. hu | Hwat thær scal gøres fore Tac osæn af | swartæ beto. oc lat mæth halft af hunægh | oc lat thæt i næsæ. thøm thær houeth wærk | hauer“
„For ict siuth æspæ barc i. got øll. oc | dric een skal warmt thær af arlæ om mor“
Brandt, Gammeldansk Læsebog p. 61:1-3 (Fol. 1r:1-4), 61:4-18 (Fol. 48v:1-20), 61:19-62:3 (Fols 13v:23-14r:3), 62:4-6 (Fol. 14r:10-12), 62:7-9 (Fol. 16v:13-15), 62:10-20 (Fol. 28r:6-17), 62:21-63:16 (Fols 30v:11-31r:10), 63:17-30 (Fol. 31r:11-v:7)
Såby, Det Arnamagnæanske håndskrift nr 187, 8vo
Uldaler and Wellejus, Gammeldansk læsebog 1968 p. 233:8-15 (Fol. 17r:22-v:9), 233:16-19 (Fol. 35r:14-18), 233:20-25 (Fol. 41r:3-12), 233:26-234:2 (Fol. 41r:21-v:3), 234:3-7 (Fol. 43r:11-19), 234:8-9 (Fol. 46r:12-14), 234:10-12 (Fol. 46v:1-3), 234:13-16 (Fol. 47v:5-9), 234:17-29 (Fol. 48r:25-v:20), 235:1-17 (Fol. 50r:7-v:6), 235:18-236:4 (Fol. 51r:16-v:13), 236:5-8 (Fol. 53v:12-18), 236:9-26 (Fols 54v:25-55v:3), 236:26-29 (Fol. 56r:23-v:3)
„Credo esse | illicitum | et. vanum“
„Vor herre Jesus bleff saaret i Jorderig“
„Saa skal oc icke dette helder gióre | j naffn Gud faders Söns oc Helligand.“
Brandt, Gammeldansk Læsebog p. 62 (Footnote)
Ohrt, Danmarks Trylleformler p. 164 No. 133
Maren Cornelissis dixit esse Certissimum
Parchment.
There is a younger foliation on fols 1-56 in the upper right-hand corner of the recto pages, and on fols 57-59 below the text, probably by Kristian Kålund.
It seems that fol. 59 was originally pasted towards the lower board of the binding as traces of glue are found on it. There are catchwords on fols 10v, 18v, 26v, 36v and 52v.
The manuscript is written in long lines with 25 lines per page. The first letter of each main part of the book consists of a blue initial occupying 2 to 4 lines. Each paragraph begins with a red majuscule. The headings are either red or underlined in red.
Three leaves have been excised between fols 28 and 29, 35 and 36, and 56 and 57.
The main hand written in a fourteenth-century gothic bookhand occupies fols 1r-56v (the leechbook).
The magic formula on fol. 16v is written in a seventeenth-century younger gothic cursive.
Younger marginalia occur here and there. A number of pen trials can be found on fol. 57r.
The binding consists of wooden boards covered in pigskin, originally tanned red, now faded to a brownish colour. A lock mechanism and the strap are missing, but the heart-shaped brass plate to fasten the strap is still on the front cover. When Kristian Kålund catalogued the manuscript in 1888, the back was padded with small pieces of parchment, covered in writing and which were subsequently removed. One of these fragments was transferred to Accessoria 7 where it is catalogued as Acc. 7c, hs 141. The dimensions of the binding are: 167 mm x 131 mm x 41 mm.
There is an AM-slip written by Árni Magnússon pasted to fol. 1r which reads: num. 1038. ex | auctione Rostgard..
The leechbook was written in Denmark. Three datings for the manuscript have been put forward:
The name Hans Hansen appears on fol. 57r, and on fol. 1r Christianus Bordingius | M.D. apud Ripens. Ordin. claims ownership of the book. Later Frederik Rostgaard has owned the book.
According to the AM-slip, Árni Magnússon purchased the book at the Rostgaard auction in 1729.
The manuscript was photographed for the first time in 1960 (prior to restoration).
New copies from April 16, 1998 (prior to restoration).
Portraits of the binding: upper board, lower board and spine, end-papers, openings of the book: 10v-11r, 52v-53r and a close-up of the clasp were taken March 30, 1998 before lending the manuscript to an exhibition.
Coloured diapositives were taken of the following folios April 02, 1998: 1r, 6v-7r, 16v-17r, 27v-28r, 30v-31r, 53v-54r, 54v-55r.
The manuscript has been lent to The Danish National Archives (Rigsarkivet), Copenhagen, on four occasions for the use of Erik Kroman: from 3 to 17 April 1959; from 20 to 24 April 1961; from 23 to 25 March 1963, and from 7 to 27 April 1965.
The manuscript was lent to Dansk Folkemindesamling, Copenhagen for the use of Jørn Piø on November 10, 1961.
The manuscript was exhibited twice in Esrum Kloster in North Sjælland. The first time in May-August 1998 and the second time 8 to 26 October 1998.