The manuscript was written probably in Leinster, 1549 (cf. folio 6 verso, column b, line 9).

The manuscript is written in the following hands.

1. Text. Hand 1 of Adv.MS.72.1.12.

2. Folio 6. Lúcas Ó Maol-Tuile, 1679. Cf. Royal Irish Academy MS.23 M 5, page 209.

3. Folio 6 verso the Reverend John Beaton, 1690. He here writes in a pale yellow ink almost invisible to the naked eye.

The texts from folio 4 verso begin with citations from the ‘Lilium medicinae’, and may belong like the rest to a version of John of Gaddesden’s ‘Rosa Anglica’.

(i) Part of ‘Rosa Anglica’. Beginning (acephalous) ‘⁊ do masdix ⁊ do sidubal no le haran ngoirt’. This portion ends incomplete (due to excised leaf) ‘⁊ tuic ar son an focail noch adeir G[alien]’. Cf. ‘On quotidian fever’ (edited by Wulff from Royal Irish Academy MS.23 P 10, iii, in “An liaigh i n-Éirinn a n-allód, V- on quotidian fever" (from John of Gaddesden Rosa Anglica”), lines 522-805. Resumes folio 2 recto, column a, line 1 ‘ni fedand se a morgadh an espiala cena ata l[eann] fuar rof[uar] rocruaidh co cudrama sa corp uile ⁊ ni fedann an t[easaidheacht] mina[durtha] tiacht cuice na a impogh cum morgaidh’, i.e. end of section on fevers epiala and liparia, cf. Royal Irish Academy MS.23 P 10, iii, page 47, column b, bottom of the page. (Folio 1 recto, column a, line 1.)

(ii) ‘As mor an aimcir bis eidir aicsis na fiabras so re nabartar quinctana ⁊ sextana septimana ⁊ novena ⁊ detcena’. Ends ‘facmaid sin fa glicas an ti do ni an leigheas’. Cf. Wulff, ‘Rosa Anglica seu Rosa medicinae: and Early Modern Irish translation of a section of the mediaeval text-book of John of Gaddesden’, page xxxii. (Folio 2 recto, column a, line 3.)

(iii) Part of ‘Rosa Anglica’. Beginning ‘Feibris sanginis et setera adhon do nitear da fiabras o fuil dearg .i. sinoca ⁊ sinocus’. Ends folio 4 recto, column b, last line, ‘tar eissi sin caoiter an methradh is arrsaide ann’. Edited by Wulff in ‘Rosa Anglica seu Rosa medicinae: and Early Modern Irish translation of a section of the mediaeval text-book of John of Gaddesden’, pages 18.1–72.2. (Folio 2 recto, column a, middle of the page.)

(iv) On diabetes. Beginning ‘De diebetica pacione .i. do flux ainmesurdha an fuail tic ona hairnib’. Ends ‘gealtur fraig an tighe ina timceall ⁊ dentar a lan do crechthuibh uirre’. Egidius cited. (Folio 4 verso, column a, line 1.)

(v) ‘De mingitu sainginis .i. don fual fola’. Ends ‘b[ainne] gab[air] arna bruith re tri cl( )aib einar ghil benus o clu’. No authorities cited. (Folio 5 recto, column a, line 34.)

(vi) On the breasts. Beginning ‘Mamilla est membrum glandulorum album ex venis et arteris contexam. Adhon ni ni eli an cich acht ball gel mesocach’. No authorities cited (?). Ends folio 6 verso, column b, line 9 ‘Aois an tigearna an tan s[gri]b[adh] 1000, 500 ⁊ naoi mbliadhna ⁊…… an dl( )curra(?) ro sgriph sa leab(a)r(?) rena terit(?) ⁊ a tosach s …………Aois an tigearn an tan do marbadh Cobhthach O Madadgain 1000 bl[iadhan] ⁊ 500 ⁊ naoi mbl[iadhn]a ⁊ da fhithad ⁊ annsa bl[iadh]ain so do chuadh(?) ( ) Concabhair Ailie ⁊ O Morgha a Saxanaibh’. (‘Annals of the Four Masters’, 1547-1548.) Below is a short list of spices beginning ‘Pipar fada’, then a blank space in which hand 2 has written ‘Luicas O Muiltuil’. At folio 6 recto, lower margin, hand 2 writes ‘this wass writin by me Luke Tully the first of November 1679. And if this book were lo(st o)r I pray that I should have it back again. Luicas O Mwlltuil ( ) gan breig gienine tietin’. (Folio 5 verso, column b, line 3.)

(vii) Hand 3 (visible under ultra violet light) “Mise Eoin Maigbheta an .3. lá don mhith April 1690 an .2. b[liadhain] taréis dona Saxanacuib ⁊ don iomlan dó protestanach[aibh] Bhreatine Moire ⁊ na Herin: soin, mall[e] mcbh( ) Phrions Ora[ns]e R[i] Semus a chur ar dibra chum na Fraince”. (Folio 6 verso, column b, bottom of page.)