Hitsotria De Morbo, By Gabriele De Mussis

Gabriele de’ Mussis, a lawyer from Piacenza, the author of Hitsotria de Morbo, which covers how the plague had spread across continental Europe. First the source is written as if de’ Mussis is having a conversation from god and trying to find a reason for why God is punishing everyone of Europe why he is “shooting Poisoned arrows” at the innocent, sinners, men, women, and children, asking where God’s Mercy has gone. No one will be given rest, poisoned arrows will strike everyone” (Horrox, de’ Mussis pg. 16). In his “conversations” with God he writes as if he is God and he respond with that how humanity has failed, the people did not follow his rules, the priests failed their jobs. God says that the time for Mercy has left and that vengeance is

here and that he bid the people to weep. “I head you sinner, dropping words into my ears. I bid you weep” (Horrox de’ Mussis pg.

18). The source then goes into detail of the events of the besiege of Caffa. Relations between Italian Merchants and Moghuls became uneasy leading to the siege. De Mussis writes how the Christians in the city were trapped for 3 years. During this time the Tartars (the besiegers) started to become ill with the plague and that thousands at a time would die. The Tartars then decided use “biological warfare” and catapult the diseased corpses into the city. Causing the Christians to flee on ship to Genoa. de’ Mussis goes into detail of how the plague spread from Genoa, blaming what happened in countries like Sicily and all of Italy. “Speak, Genoa, of what you have done. Describe, Sicily and Isole Pelagie, the judgements of God. Recount, Venice, Tuscany and the whole of Italy, what you have done” (Horrox, de’ Mussis pg. 19). He continues to go into more depth of how people were becoming infected. Gabriele de’ Mussis’s passage ends with him writing on how it was a time of suffering and that it came from God’s hand, and continues into some symptoms of the plague and accounts of how some patients with the plague had been cured do to a ointment and cutting of the boils that grew on their

bodies.
Gabriele de’ Mussis account of the spreading of the plague in Europe has good points of how the plague spread very quickly throughout Europe. I think starting the passage on the story of Caffa and how the plague spread from there is bias although it could have something to do with the spread, but I don’t believe it was the main reason for it, which can be debated. Never the less it still is a good account and “summary” of some of the ways the plague had spread and how infectious it was.