Gilbertus Anglicus | Page 8

really the text published
originally in the "Collectio Chirurgica Veneta" of 1546, of which the
preface says:
"_His acceserunt Rogerii ac Guil. Saliceti chirurgiae, quarum prior
quibusdam decorata adnotationibus nunc primum in lucem exit, etc._,"
and adds further on:
"_Addidimus etiam quasdam in Rogerium veluti explanationes, in
antiquissimo codice inventas, et ab ipso fortasse Rolando factas._"
While I may recognize gratefully the surgical enthusiasm which led the
editor to the publication of these "veluti explanationes," for my present
purpose he would have earned more grateful recognition if he had left
them unprinted. As the text now stands it is merely a garbled edition of
the Rolandina. However, it is the best representative of the "Chirurgia"
of Roger at present available. See De Renzi, op. cit., p. 425.]
From a careful review of the data thus presented we may epitomize,
somewhat conjecturally, the life of Gilbert substantially as follows: He
was probably born about 1180 and received his early education in
England. On the completion of this education, about the close of the
12th century, he proceeded to the Continent to complete his studies,
and spent some time in the school of Salernum, where it is probable
that he enjoyed the instruction of Roger of Parma, Ricardus
Salernitanus, and may have had among his fellow-students Aegidius of
Corbeil. Probably after his return to England he served for a brief
period on the staff of Archbishop Hubert Walter, after whose death in
1205, but at an unknown period, Gilbert returned once more to the
Continent, where it seems probable he spent the remainder of his life.
This comports best with his extensive European reputation, his surname
"Anglicus" and the comparative dearth in England of any facts relating
to his life. The date of the Compendium I am inclined to place about

1240, prior to the literary activity of Ricardus Parisiensis or Richard of
Wendover, Roland of Parma, Roger Bacon and Theodorius of Cervia.
We may place his death, conjecturally, at about 1250.
The first edition of the Compendium is a small quarto of 362 folios
(724 modern pages), five by seven inches in size, printed in double
narrow columns, in black letter, perfectly legible and clear. The
pagination shows some errors, but the text itself is remarkably accurate,
though the presence of a multiplicity of contractions and ligatures
renders the reading somewhat difficult to the modern student. On the
last page we find the following colophon:
_Explicit compendium medicine Gilberti Anglici correctum et bene
emendatum per dominum Michaelem de Capella artium et medicine
doctorem: ac Lugduni Impressum per Jacobum Saccon: expensis
Vincentii de Portonariis. Anno Domini M.D.x. die vero vigesima
mensis Novembris._
_Deo Gratias._
The second edition (which I have not seen) is said to bear the title:
"Laurea anglicana, sive compendium totius medicinae, etc," Geneva,
1608.
It should be noticed that the title "Laurea anglicana" is not mentioned
in the original edition of 1510, but is apparently due to the exuberance
of enthusiasm of the editor of the later edition, whose taste seems to
have been more flamboyant.
Various manuscript works of greater or less authenticity are ascribed to
Gilbert by different authorities. Of these Mr. Kingsford furnishes the
following list:
1. "Commentarii in Versus Aegidii de Urinis," quoted by John
Gaddesden and probably authentic.
2. "Practica Medicinae," mentioned by Pits, but of doubtful
authenticity.

3. "Experimenta Magistri Gilliberti, Cancellarii Montepessulani,"
noticed on page 2, but authenticity doubtful.
4. "Compendium super Librum Aphorismorum Hippocratis." MS. in
Bodleian.
5. "Eorundem Expositio." MS. in Bodleian.
6. "Antidotarium." MS. in Caius College.
To these he adds, on the authority of Bale and Pits:
7. "De Viribus Aquarum et Specierum."
8. "De Proportione Fistularum."
9. "De Judicio Patientis."
10. "De Re Herbaria."
11. "De Tuenda Valentudine."
12. "De Particularibus Morbis."
13. "Thesaurus Pauperum."
All of these latter may be regarded as doubtful.
The authorities named by Gilbert are Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Plato,
Aristotle, Galen, Rufus, Maerobius, Boetius, Alexander of Tralles,
Theodorus Priscianus, Theophilus Philaretes, Stephanon (of Athens?),
the Arabians Haly Abbas, Rhazes, Isaac Judaeus, Joannitius, Janus
Damascenus, Jacobus Alucindi, Avicenna and Averroës; the Salernian
writers, quoted generally as Salernitani and specifically Constantino
Africanus, Nicholas Praepositus, Romoaldus Ricardus and Maurus, and
two otherwise unknown authors, Torror and Funcius, classed by Gilbert
as "antiqui." The latter author is also said to have written a "Liber de
lapidibus." Certainly this list suggests a pretty good medical library for
a practitioner of the 13th century.

Dr. Payne calls attention to the fact that all these writers antedate the
13th century, and thus limit the period of Gilbert in antiquity. This is
undoubtedly true with reference to authorities actually named, but does
not exclude from consideration other writers quoted, but not named,
whom we shall have occasion to refer to hereafter.
The Compendium opens with a very brief and modest foreword,
couched in the