115r

Old English
Modern English
Wyrc briw wiþ lungen adle: nim betonican and marubian; wermod, hindheoloþan, wenwyrt nioþoweard, elehtre, elene, rædic, eoforþrote, feldmore. Gecnua ealle swiþe wel and wyl on buteran and awring þurh clað. Scead on þæt wos beren mela. Hrer on blede butan fyre oþþæt hit sie swa þicce swa briw. Ete .iii. snæda mid þy drence wearmes. Eft, wyl on hunige anum marubian. Do hwon beren mela to. Ete on neaht nestig and þonne þu him selle drenc oððe briw. Sele him hatne and læt gerestan þone man æfter tide dæges on þa swiðran sidan and hafa þone earm aþened.
Make a pottage for lung disease: take betony and white horehound; wormwood, wood sage, the lower part of lesser celandine, lupin, garden radish, stemless carline thistle, [and] wild carrot. Pound all very well and boil in butter and wring through a cloth. Scatter barley meal into that juice. Stir into a bowl [that is] against a flame30 until it is as thick as pottage. Eat three morsels with a drink of the warm [pottage]. Afterwards, boil white horehound alone in honey. Put a little barley meal in [it]. Eat after a night's fast and then you should give him either the drink or the pottage. Give it hot to him and afterwards let the person rest for a period of time during the day31 on the right side and have the arm extended.
xv. Wiþ magan wærce: wyl pic on cu meolce. Ado þæt pic of. Supe hwon, wearm. Sona biþ sel.
xv. For stomach pain: boil pitch in cow milk. Take the pitch out. Eat a little, warm. Soon [it] will be well.
Wiþ aþundenesse and man nelle myltan his mete: wyl on wætere polleian and leac cersan. Sele drincan. Him biþ sona sel.
For swelling and the person who cannot digest his food: boil pennyroyal and garlic-mustard in water. Give to drink. Soon he will be well.
xvi. Wiþ milte wærce: cnua grene sealh rinde. Seoð on hunige anum. Sele him etan .iii. snæda on neaht nestig.
xvi. For spleen pain: pound green willow bark. Boil alone in honey. Give him three morsels to eat after a night's fast.
xvii. Wiþ lenden wærce: marubie, nefte, bogen, emfela ealra, do on god ealu. Wyrc to drence. Swet hwon. Sele drincan. Licge upweard æfter þon gode hwile.
xvii. For loin pain: put white horehound, cat mint, ragwort, all in equal parts, in good ale. Make into a drink. Sweeten a little. Give to drink. Lie face up afterwards for a good while.

30. c.f. Cockayne and Olds who translate "butan fyre" as "without flame." I have translated "butan fyre" as "against a flame" to reflect the "warm [pottage]" later mentioned in the remedy.
31. Cockayne: "after an hour, by day"
Olds: "afterwards for one hour"
Back to Contents