flower of centaury

Ingredients

centaury (Centaurium erythraea)

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The 'recipe' in this context refers to the conflicting botanical color descriptors found in the verse herbal. In manuscripts like TCC MS R.14.32 and BL MS Sloane 140, the plant's flower is described as 'red' (p. 138). However, in alternative witnesses such as BL MS Sloane 147 and SKB MS X 90, the flowers are described as 'white' (p. 138, n. 93). This discrepancy highlights how the 'mnemonic potential' of verse failed to prevent technical errors during manuscript transmission (p. 138).

Evidence

"in some versions of the herbal, the flower of centaury is declared red. Given the alleged proximity of purple to red in medieval colour descriptions, this seems like an apt description of the lilac flowers. In other versions, the flowers are incorrectly described as white."

Remarks

The author argues that while verse was intended to assist memory, it could not 'prevent changes or errors in transmission' (p. 138-139). The specific variation between 'red' and 'white' for centaury is used to challenge the claims of medieval authorities like Gilles of Corbeil, who argued that verse imprints matter upon the memory more effectively than prose (p. 138). The use of 'red' for centaury is considered an 'apt description' for lilac flowers within the framework of medieval color vocabulary (p. 138).