Marginal Diagram Of A Human Body, In A Volume Of Works By St. Augustine, St. John Of Damascus, And Others

This manuscript was apparently made towards the end of the 13th century for a member of the Grey family, whose heraldic arms are incorporated into the decoration of the first page; but within a generation or so it had found its way to Ramsey abbey, as it has the ownership inscription of the abbot, Simon.

One of the key features of interest is that the manuscript has been annotated with the indexing symbols devised by Robert Grosseteste (c.1175-1253), bishop of Lincoln, one of the greatest minds of the 13th century (‘Grosseteste’ is a nickname, and is French for ‘big head’).

In addition to indexing symbols of Grosseteste, and extensive marginal annotations, there is on this page a drawing showing the parts of the soul related to parts of the body, which relates to the adjacent text.

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