Colophon: Mise Mailechloind mac Illoind Meic an Leaga do scrib deired in libairsi re n-abur Petrus de Largellata1 do budein & a crich Iustasac a m-Baile Hoiriberd a tig Uilliam Talman2 do forbad. Is i ais an Tigerna ann .i. MCCCCCXII. (1512) &rl. Maaid (?)3 raith don ti dorat dam an esimplair so an libarsi .i. Conaire mac Torna I Mailconaire & is dirsan lim a fad ata a m'ecmais uair is mor a esba dam uair is triamain m'inntinn uair is fada uaim siar m'athair isin Mumain & mo brathair .i. Eogan & is rofada lim co faicinn mo shesi & mo brathair .i. Connla Mac an Lega ata a Muig Luirg & is ro mhor a ecla orm gur mill an sluag so iarla Cille Dara he. Et is fada ata mo dalta & mo condalta .i. Cormac Mac in Lega. Isin da India (?) isin ailt ata (-u?), uair is nunach imberach (?) e do raith.
The last sentence is possibly a code or something similar, and is nearly unintelligible. The fact that the scribe fails to distinguish between the stroke which signifies n and that which signifies m does not simplify matters.
I am unable to say whether the above is the signature of the scribe, or if the whole thing is a copy, the &rl after the date 1512, makes it look as if part of the colophon were omitted. This Mailechloind Mac an Leaga was one of a family of hereditary physicians in Thomond. His death is recorded in the Annals of Loch Cé, under the date 1531.
The following folio, 77r opens with several quotations from the Gospels and the Classics, on the duties of man in general, and physicians in particular, continuing as follows: —
{MS folio 77r}Masead guidmid-ne aen Dia trithech na tri persan dar furtacht do crichnugad in compendium cumair so, uair adeir Tateus4, ‘Demulcentur audiencium animae ex lucida et compendiosa breuitate’ .i. sastur aicneadha luchta an estachta on cumairecht tarbaig soluis, uair is mooide foglumthar ni gac med cumairachta, da mbi, gurab uime sin adubairt Aristotul ‘Longa solent sperni gaudent breuitate moderni’ .i. clechtar na raite rofaide do tarcasnugad & forbailtigid lucht na haimsire nuaide roim an cumairacht ...
Is uime sin do b'ail lium trachtad cumair tarbach do denum do lucht in studeir, clechtas moran na lebar do fecain, innus co fagdais gach ni do iarfadais annsa uolumen so, do rinniusa le stuider rofada & le germachtnamh inntinne & le moran na eladan leighis do scrudugad, dochum riachtanuis les na scolaired do comlinad. Et bith a fis agad gur cumusa in trachtad so, gan moran na teoricechta (?) ar ecla in athmaeltuis, an aimsir, an egentuis, & in guasachta.