Listen, O Isles, unto me: Studies in Medieval Word and Image in honour of Jennifer O'Reilly

From Conception to Birth in Anglo-Saxon England

156 From Conception to Birth in Anglo-Saxon England ELISABETH OKASHA Introduction It is a great pleasure to offer this short paper to Jennifer O’Reilly, as a token of gratitude for the many years during which we have been colleagues and friends. The text discussed in this paper is one of several medical texts from Anglo-Saxon England that can be included under the general heading of ‘women’s health’. While we know something about medicine in general in Anglo-Saxon England, thanks to the survival of such texts as the Lacnunga1 and Bald’s Leechbook,2 there is rather less evidence for the health and medical care of women in particular. Nevertheless, work has been done in this area, notably by Marilyn Deegan and L.M.C. Weston.3 The text under discussion in this paper concerns women, in that it describes the stages of growth of the foetus from conception to birth. The text occurs in only one manuscript, London, British Library, Cotton MS Tiberius A. iii, fols. 40v–41r.4 This manuscript was probably compiled at Canterbury in the middle of the eleventh century. The manuscript contains a mixed collection of texts, including glosses, prayers, homilies and, in particular , a set of texts described by Ker as a ‘collection of prognostics from dreams, the moon, thunder, etc’.5 The complete text is given below because it is not one that is particularly well known, and because there is only one reliable edition of it, by Chardonnens, in an earlier and later version.6 All other printed versions are taken from the text published by Cockayne almost 150 years ago, which is less than accurate.7 The text printed below is taken from Chardonnens’s editions , with my own translation added, since Chardonnens does not include one. A number of interesting points arising from the text are then discussed. From Conception to Birth in Anglo-Saxon England 157 Text Chardonnens’s earlier edition of the text8 retains the punctuation and capitalization of the manuscript, indicates initials and rubricated letters by use of bold type, expands abbreviations and ligatures using italics, adds omitted letters using angled brackets, and makes a few small textual emendations which are explained in the notes. In the interests of the reader I have simplified this, by not using bold type, angled brackets or italics, and by omitting the notes and manuscript punctuation. I have, however, accepted Chardonnens’s emendations and followed his earlier edition of the text, including his use of the Old English letters ‘ð’ and ‘þ’ for ‘th’, ‘æ’ for ‘ae’, and the ‘7’ abbreviation for ‘and’. However, the precise use of either ‘ð’ or ‘þ’ follows his later edition,9 where two readings, in lines 8 and 9, are corrected. Her onginð secgan ymbe mannes gecynde hu he on his modor innoþe to men gewyrðeð ærest þæs mannes brægen bið geworden on his modor innoþe þonne biþ þæt brægen utan mid reaman bewefen on þære syxtan wucan On oðrum monðe þa ædran beoð geworden on lxv 7 þreo hundræd scyrtran 7 lengran hi beoð todælede 7 þæt blod þonne floweð on þa fet 7 uppan þa handa 7 he þonne byþ on limum todæled 7 tosomne gearwað On þam þriddan monþe he biþ man butan sawle On þam feorþan monþe he bið on limum staþolfæst On þam fiftan monþe he biþ cwicu 7 weaxeð 7 seo modur lið witleas 7 þonne þa rib beoð geworden þonne gelimpð þæræ manigfeald sar þonne þæs byrþnes lic on hire innoþe styrigende bið On þam syxtan monþe he byþ gehyd 7 ban beoð weaxende On þam seofoþan monþe þa tan 7 þa fingras beoð weaxende On þam eahtoþan monþe him beoð þa breostþing wexende 7 heorte 7 blod 7 he bið eall staþolfæstlice geseted On þam nigoþan monþe witodlice wifum bið cuð hwæðer hi cennan magon On þam teoþan monþe þæt wif hit ne gedigð hyre feore gif þæt bearn accenned ne biþ forþam þe hit in þam magan wyrð hire to feorhadle oftost on tiwesniht. Translation My translation is deliberately literal, not literary, in order not to obscure points of interest in the text. Modern punctuation has been silently inserted, but inserted words are enclosed within brackets. These added words are 158 Elisabeth Okasha...