The Prince and the Plunder

A book on how Britain took one boy and piles of treasures from Ethiopia

An 18th century manuscript including prescriptions and a formula for changing into a lion (OR 11390)

Published / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: An Ethiopian manuscript dated 1750 including prayers, prescriptions and the Mäṣhafä Mädḥanit directory of medicinal plants, with more than 200 illustrations of “magical pictures, squares and lines of magical and talismans”. A small vellum leaf is bound in ff.6-7 containing a magical formula for changing into a lion or another beast

Where: The British Library, 96 Euston Rd, London NW1 2DB

Ref: OR 11390
Digital version – http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Or_11390

Provenance:
A note on f. 3r reads “belonging to the Church of the Saviour of the World’ at Magdala”
A note on the first page reads: “Bought of Mr De Vere Crossley, 28 Aug. 1933”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *