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Re: Ludovico Albertini - author of the VMS?
> [Nich Pelling] Ludovico Albertini or Lucio Bellenti?
> What were their non-Latinised names?
Those names are plain Italian (Tuscan), not Latin; and fairly common
ones, in fact, for that time and place --- except "Bellenti", which,
although I don't recall seeing it before, still looks and sounds like
a native Italian family name.
It is true that Italians have the habit of Italianizing (rather than
Latinizing) foreign names, either by sound or by meaning --- as in
"Ruggiero Baccone", "Giovanni di Sacrobosco" (John of
Holywood), "Niccolò Copernico" (Mikolaj Kopernik), or "Giovanni Acuto"
(John Hawkwood). However, such names rarely have the "i" (plural)
ending of "Albertini" and "Bellenti", which implicitly means "from the
..... family".
> Anyway, back to the VMS: if the herbal images are anything
> to go by, she seems to have been an empiric herbalist
> rather than a theoretical one
Here are some tidbits found in the net, with my translation from
Italian into English, sort of. Note the use of sunflower in one
of her recipes!
http://chifar.unipv.it/museo/Catellani/catSforza/CaterinaSf.htm
The experiments of Catherine Sforza
by Patrizia Catellani
[...]
In her tormented life, unstable and even full of excesses,
her faith in the pharmaceutical art and its practice were a
fixed point.
Her unbounded curiosity for the sciences and alchemy led
her to perform endless experiments, which she based on the
works of Ludovico Albertini, a herbalist from Forlì.
[...]
Macchiavelli tells how she, at twenty-five, [was] besieged
in the castle, while her six children were taken hostage.
To show that she would not submit to that threat, she
raised her skirt showing her genitals, and said "I can make
more of them!"
With the same determination Catherine workid in search for
remedies which would cure all diseases. She collected the
formulas from her experiments in a manuscript, written in
common Italian, which, after her death, passed on to her
son Giovanni de' Medici, that of the Black Bands.
The manuscript comprises 454 recipes of which 358 are about
medicine, 30 about chemistry, and 66 about cosmetics.
In 1525 count Antonio Cuppano from Montefalco made a copy
of the manuscript, presently in private hands, which
reached us with the title "Experiments of the Most
Excellent Lady Catherine from Forlì mother of the Most
Illustrious Lord Giovanni of Medici" ["Experimenti de la
Exellentissima Signora Caterina da Furlj matre de lo
Illuxtrissimo Signor Giovanni de Medici"]
This recipe book may be the most complete document known on
the medicine and cosmetic art of the XV century.
In many recipes we find mention of drugs still used today
in herbal medicine, such as Mary's thistle [? cardo
mariano]; one finds even important inventions, such as that
of surgical anesthesia, possibly the most important in the
whole book:
"To make a person sleep in such fashion that you will
be able to operate in surgery anything you wish and
he will not feel you and it is proven [et est probatum]"
The composite that Catherine describes, at the end of the
1400's, is very similar to that of an anesthetic, based on
oppium, juice from green [or bitter] blackberries, leaves
of mandrake, of ivy, and of other plants, which is found in
a 9th century manuscript kept by the Montecassino Monastery
and also in a surgery handbook published at Bologna in
1265.
In the manuscript one finds also recipes which leave in us
quite a few question marks, such as the one to cure every
kind of fever (said to have been tried even by Cosimo de'
Medici), based on wolf droppings dried in the sun, ground
to powder and given to the patient to drink in beef broth.
As for cosmetics, reading Catherine's experiments, one
would think that aesthetic problems of five hundred years
ago are basically the same as of today! Thus we find
formulations to darken the skin, lose weight, lift up
sagging flesh, remove body hair, and even to color hair and
made it curly.
http://chifar.unipv.it/museo/Catellani/catSforza/Ric_CatSf.htm
Da: "Experimenti de la From: "Experiments of the Most
Exellentissima Signora Excellent Lady Catherine from
Caterina da Furlj matre de lo Forlì mother of the Most
Illuxtrissimo Signor Giovanni Illustrious Lord Giovanni of
de Medici" Medici"
[[Selected recipes follow. Note: the Italian file seems to have
many OCR-like errors --stolfi]]
Viso, mani e pelle Face, hands, and skin
Aqua a fare la faccia Water to make the face most
bianchissima et bella et white and beautiful and
lucente et colorita: shining and colorful:
piglia chiara de ove et take egg white and get it
falla distillar in alambicco distilled in a still and
et con quella aqua lava la with said water wash the
faccia che è perfectissiina face which is most perfect
a far bella et leva tutti li to make beautiful and
segni et cicatrici. removes all marks and scars.
Contro la rosseza de viso Against the redness of face
per causa sole et crepature: by cause of sun and cracks
piglia cerusica [una biacca, take cerusite [PbCO3, a white
usata nell'antichità come pigment used in ancient
belletto -- nda] et aqua de times as face powder --ed.]
rosa et oleo violato ed and rose water and violet
incorpora insieme et mestica oil and incorporate together
bene poi ogniti la faccia et and blend well then anoint
è perfectissimma. the face and it is most
perfect.
A levar le lentigine: To remove freckles:
piglia galbano et take galbanum
mestica et fallo a modo de and grind and make it into
unguento et quando vai a anointment and when you go
dormire ognete la faccia et to sleep apply to the face
la matina lavate con aqua and in the morning wash with
chiara. clear water.
Aqua a caciar via le macchie Water to get rid of face
de volto: stains:
piglia radice de serpentaria take root from snakeroot
[pianta dalle cui radici si [plant from whose roots one
ricava un olio usato in extracts a medicinal oil]
medicina] et tritela et and chop it and cook it in
cocila in vino poi cola e wine then strain and wash
lavati la faccia col' essa your face with it until
per fin che serai libero. you will be free.
L'abbronzatura della pelle The darkening of skin
Aqua a caciar el color Water to get rid of pale
palido de viso a fare face color [[and]] make
colorito: color:
piglia radice di mira el take root of look at the sun
sole [girasole] et radila et [sunflower] and grate it
metila in bono vino che farà and put it in good
bonissimo colore et bello. wine which it will make most
good color and beautiful.
A fare la carne humana negra To make the human flesh
benissimo: black very well:
piglia scorze de noce take skins of fresh nuts,
fresche, meloni selvatici et wild melons and pound
pista insieme et lassa stare together and let it stand a
un di o doi poi metti in day or two then put in a
alambicco et stilla et con still and distill and with
quella aqua bagnia dove voli that water dab where desired
che farà negro benissimo. which it will make black
very well.
Le ricette per le mani The recipes for the hands
A guarir le mano crepate: To heal crackly hands:
piglia succo de ortiga et un take juice of ivy and a bit
poco de sale et mestica of salt and mix together
insieme bene et ognete le well and apply to the hands
mano dove sonno crepate. where they are crackly.
A fare le mano bianche: To make hands white:
piglia foglie et radice de take leaves and root of ivy
ortiga et fa buire in aqua and make boil in water and
et cummi quel aqua lavate le with that water wash the
mano et divemteranno bianche hands and they will become
et morbide. white and soft.
Per guarire porri e calli: To cure warts and calluses:
[la seguente ricetta è a [The following recipe is
base di cenere e acqua based on ash and boiling
bollente, una miscela water, a mixture called
chiamata lissa o ranno, lye[?] once used for home
usata un tempo per fare il laundry.]
bucato in casa]
piglia lissa forte, mezzo take strong lye, half a
bichiero, in el quale poni glass, in which place wheat
grani de fromento et lassali grains and let them stand
stare per un di, poi pista for a day, then crush said
la ditta grana a la quale grains to which you add
agiongi polvere di hennodactilorum powder and
hennodactilorum et mestica mix like ointment and of
ad modo de unguento et de this place a little on warts
questo poni un poco sopra and calluses amd you will
porri et calli et guarirai heal without pain.
senza dolore
Per ringiovanire To become younger
Aqua celeste che fa Celestial water which makes
regiovanire la persona, et a person younger, and turns
de morto fa vivo: dead into alive:
pilglia garofani, noce take cloves, nutmeg,
moscata, zenzero, pepe mustard, long pepper, round
lungo, pepe rotondo, grani pepper, juniper berries,
di ginepro, scorza di citron [?] peel, leaves of
cetrangoli, foglie di salvia, of basil, of
salvia, di basilico, di rosemary, of fine marjoran
rosmarino, di maggiorana and of mint, elder flowers,
fine et di menta, fior di white and red roses, [and
sambuco, rose bianche et 20 other ingredients,
rosse [e altri 20 including dried figs,
ingredienti, compresi fichi raisins and honey] that
secchi uva passa e miele] everything be well ground up
Che ogni cosa sia ben or pieces place in acqua
polverizzata o pezzi metti vitae [acqua vitae or
in aqua vite [anche wine spirit is often used
l'acquavite o grappa è in Catherine's recipes].
spesso consigliata nelle Place in a well closed
ricette di Caterina]. Metti bottle and leave it for two
in una bottiglia ben chiusa days then put in a still and
et lasciala doi giorni poi distill five times, with
metti nel fornello col' slow fire, there will come
alambicco et distilla cinque out a water most rare and
volte, con fuoco lento, precious.
uscirà un'aqua rarissinma e
preziosa.
Per curare gli occhi To heal the eyes
A fare aqua de oclui To make water for eyes most
perfectissima: perfect:
piglia aqua vida [acquavite] take acqua vitae [wine
aqua rosada aqua de imuta spirits] rose water ?
aqua de finochi zucaro fino [imuta] water fennel water
et mestica omni cosa insieme fine sugar and mix every
et poi metti una goccia ne thing together and then put
lo occhio. a drop in the eye.
Dimagrire e rassodare Losing weight and toning up
Per la demenution del corpo: For diminution of body:
piglia triaca fina take fine triaca [[a popular
destemperata cum vino, but expensive medieval
confetionata cum zucaro cure-it-all, with 63
rosato, che sia bolita et ingredients including opium
piglia in doi o tre matine and viper's meat]]
mezo bichiero per volta. distempered with wine,
comfited with rose sugar,
that be boiled and take for
two or three mornings half a
glass at a time.
A fare le mammelle piccole To make breasts small and
et dure alle donne: hard in women
piglia zusvese, una scudella take ? [zusvese], one cup of
de succo, et dello aceto juice, and white vinegar as
bianco più forte come puoi strong as you can and
et componi lo succo con lo compound the juice with the
aceto, poi bagnia pezze di vinegar, then imbibe pieces
canavaccio in ditta aqua et of cloth in said water and
poni sopra el petto et poni put on the breast and put
doi tazzette di vetrio sopra two little cups of glass
pezze che vadano sopra that are placed over the
tecte, lega con una fascia teats, wrap with a long
longa, più stretto che poi, bandage, as tight as you
et cusì farai piccole dure can, and so you will make
et el petto bello, mentre them small and firm and the
fai questo la domina sia breast beautiful, while you
casta. do this the woman be chaste.
Per la depilazione del corpo For depilation of the body
[...]
A far cader lo pelo che non To make hair fall so that it
torni mai: won't ever come back:
piglia calcina viva, take quicklime, orpiment
orpimento, alume de rocca et [As2S3], rock alum and grind
spolverizza tutto benissimo everything very well then
poi impasta dove voli che apply as a poultice where
caschino et lassa stai tanto you want them to fall and
che dichii doi pater nostri let it stand for as long as
poi lava. it takes to say two
Pater-Nosters then wash.
Bocca, denti e capelli Mouth, teeth, and hair
A far li denti belli: To make teek beautiful:
piglia cornetti di capretti take young goats' horns and
et pesta et fanne polvere et crush them and make powder
fa bollire in vino bianco of them and make boil in
finquanto che consumi tutto white wine until all wine is
il vino et rimane polvere et consumed and powder remains
con quella fregati i denti e and with it rub your teeth
le gengive. and gums.
A far li denti bianchi: To make teeth white:
piglia un marmo bianco, take a white marble, white
corallo bianco, osso di coral, cuttlefish bone, rock
seppia, salgemma, incenso et salt, incense and mastic.
mastice. Polverizza bene et Ground well to powder and
metti detta polvere in un put said powder in a small
sacchetto di tela piccolo, canvas bag, rub teeth then
frega i denti poi lava con wash with good wine and then
buon vino et poi frega con rub with a piece of scarlet
una pezza di panno cloth.
scarlatto.
A fare odorare la bocca et To make mouth and breath
el fiato: smell good:
piglia scorsa de cedro, noce take cedar bark, nutmeg,
moscata, garofoni et salvia. cloves and salvia. Make
Fa polvere, incorpora con powder, build up with wine
vino et fanne pallottole et and make balls and take them
pigliane prima di el cibo et before meal and after meal.
de poi del cibo.
Hope it helps. All the best,
--stolfi