Digital Index of Middle English Verse: No. 1018

DIMEV 1018

IMEV 624

NIMEV 624

Christ that was in Bethlehem born

A charm to staunch blood — varying number of lines and rhyme

Note: Cf. 1023, 1622, and 3188; edition for which MS not identified [not Sloane 88] Wright and Halliwell-Phillipps (1845)

XThomas Wright, and James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps. Reliquiae Antiquae. 2 vols. London: Smith, 1845

, 1.315.

Subjects: charms; irregular

Versification: — eight-line — aabbbbbb

Bibliographic Ghosts: Boston, MA, Boston Public Library med. 124 (1546) [olim Sowter, Sotheby Sale, May 20, 1947, Lot 371; olim Le Neve, Horae], ff. 109v-110v: French verse.

Manuscript Witnesses:

1.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library e Musaeo 243 (SC 3548), f. 1v

First Lines:

God þat was borne in þe borough of bethehem
& baptized in þe water of flem Jordayne…

Last Lines:

…I doe blesse thee bloude
by vertue of the childe so good

Note: Eight lines: a couplet and six monorhyming lines; written as prose.

2.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library e Musaeo 243 (SC 3548), f. 2

First Lines:

Iesus Christ of a mayde was borne
baptized he was in þe water of flem Jordayne…

Last Lines:

…he comaunded þe floude
& still yt stoode
so shall þe bloude of N cease

Note: Second occurrence in MS; seven lines: two couplets and three monorhyming; written as prose.

3.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library e Musaeo 243 (SC 3548), f. 3

Transcription:

Iesus þat was in bethelem borne
and baptized in flem Jordayne
& stint þe water vpon þe stone
so stinte the bloude of this man N

Note: Third occurrence in MS; four lines: abab; written as prose.

4.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library Bodl. Lat. liturg. g.1 (SC 31379), f. 10v

First Lines:

Crist that was in Bedelem born
& baptisyde was in flume iordane…

Last Lines:

…In the name of good & seynt Iohn
and the baptyme that crist toke in flume Iordane

Note: 9 lines.

5.Source: Cambridge UK, Trinity College O.9.26 (1438), f. ivv

Transcription:

Cryst þat was born in bedlem
And baptyȝed in flem Iordan
þat flod was wod
þu sesedyst hys mod
so sesy þy blod

Attributed Title: Ad restringendum sanguinem (f. ivv)

6.Source: London, British Library Addit. 33381, f. 151v2

Transcription:

Criste was born in bedlem
baptised he was in flume Iordan
he man and child was gode
þat flod with stode
thorich þe vertu of is name & is word
So do hour ache our accesse our wykyd hevil wild wind
water and blod þoruch þe vertu of goddis name and is word

Note: 7 lines, variant. Written as prose.

7.Source: London, British Library Addit. 33996, f. 147

Transcription:

Oure lord Ihesu cryst com to flem Iordan
He bad þe water come & hit com
He bad þe water stande & þe water stod
So per vertu of hym now so þy .N. blod

Editions:

Heinrich, Fritz. Ein mittelenglisches Medizinbuch. Halle: N. Neimeyer, 1896: 122.

8.Source: London, British Library Egerton 833, f. 26v

Transcription:

Ihesu þat was in bedlem born
baptysud was in flum iordan
& stynte þe water vppon a stone
stynte þe blode of þis man
N þy seruant þrow þe vertu of þy holy name
Ihesu & of þy cosyn swete seynt Iohan

Note: 8 lines.

9.Source: London, British Library Royal 12 B.XXV, f. 60v

Transcription:

Crist was I bore in bedlehem
and y fulled in flum iordan
Also þe flum stode
Also stonde þi blode

Note: Written as prose, followed by prose instruction: “& sey þis charme v tymes with a pater noster in þe worschip of þe v woundes of crist.”

10.Source: London, British Library Royal 17 A.VIII, f. 49v

Transcription:

Crist was born in betlehem
& cristend in flom iordane
& als þe flom stode als a stane
stand þi blode N neuen his name
In nomine patris et filii & spiritus sancti Amen

Note: Written as prose.

Editions:

Gray, Douglas. “Notes on Some Middle English Charms.” In Chaucer and Middle English Studies in Honour of Rossell Hope Robbins. Beryl Rowland, ed. London: Allen and Unwin, 1974: 62.

11.Source: London, British Library Sloane 1315, f. 89v2

First Lines:

Ihesus that was in Bedeleme bore
and baptyste in flom Iorden…

Last Lines:

…thorovȝt the vertu of thy holy name Ihesu
And þy cosen swete seynte Iohn

Note: Written as prose; not on folio 80 as in Boffey and Edwards (2005)

XJulia Boffey, and A. S. G. Edwards. A New Index of Middle English Verse. London: The British Library, 2005

; ends in prose instructions: “And say thes charme v tymes with v pater noster in the worsshyppe of the v wonddes.”

Attributed Title: A Charme to staunche bloode in Englysche (rubric above first line, f. 89)

12.Source: London, British Library Sloane 56, f. 100v

Note: 14 lines.

13.Source: London, British Library Sloane 2584, f. 103v

Transcription:

God was bore in betheleem
Ido on þe rode tre in ierusalem
fulled he was in flum iordan
And as þe flode with stode
So staunche þis blod
Lord ȝif þi wille be
Pater noster & Aue maria

Note: 6 lines.

Attributed Title: A charme forto cese blod (f. 103v)

14.Source: London, Wellcome Collection Library 404, f. 19

Transcription:

A nother christ that was borne yn bethelem
& folued yn fleme Iurden
also the flume a stod
also stond thy blod

Note: Folio number (in pencil) supercedes older ink foliation (20) Written as prose.

15.Source: London, Wellcome Collection Library 406 [olim Loscombe, olim Ashburnham 122], f. 4v

Transcription:

A noþer crist was I bore in bedlem
I fullyd in flymiordane
as þe flym stode
so stonde þi blode

Attributed Title: Sey þis charme þries ne darstow noȝ noȝt rech ware þe man be bote þou cane his name (f. 4v)

Facsimiles:

Digital Facsimile of London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, Wellcome MS.406. https://wellcomecollection.org/search/works?query=MS.406.

16.Source: London, Wellcome Collection Library 542 [olim Payne], f. 9

Transcription:

Ihesu þat was in bethlem borne
And baptizid Was in flom iordan
And stynte þe water vp on þe stoon
stynte þe blod of þis man N
þi seruaunte þorw þe verteu of þin holy name {cross} ihesu
& of þi cosyn swete seynt Iohn
and sey þis charme v tymes Wyth v Pater noster in þe Worschip of þe v Woundes

Note: Written as prose; rubric heading, “a charme on englysh” (f. 9); only one couplet before turns to prose.

Facsimiles:

Digital Facsimile of London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, Wellcome MS.542. https://wellcomecollection.org/search/works?query=MS.542.

17.Source: San Marino, CA, Henry Huntington Library HM 1086 [olim Hoe], f. 176v

Transcription:

Ihesu that was in bedelem borne
& baptyȝed in flem iorden
thou command the blode of thys man
(here name hym) that hyt stynte & stonde ageyn

Note: Followed by prose, ‘in the honor of oure lordes fyue wondes & the honour of our lades fyve [ ] say fyve pater noster fyue aues & a crede Amen.

Attributed Title: To staunche blode (f. 176v)

Editions:

Hanna, Ralph, ed. “The Index of Middle English Verse and Huntington Library Collections: A Checklist of Addenda.” Publications of the Bibliographical Society of America 74 (1980): 235-58: 241.

Dutschke, C. W. Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the Huntington Library. 2 vols. San Marino, CA: Huntington Library, 1989: 2.391 (lines 1-3).