PAL

Ptolemaeus Arabus et Latinus

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Chicago, The Newberry Library, Ayer Collection 744 (Boncompagni 307)

s. XVmed (probably before 1474).

Or.:

‘written in Italy (the paper suggests northern Italy) by a northern scribe’ (Saenger), possibly Venice, for, on f. 217r, an early annotator reports an event that he himself witnessed in Venice in September 1474, namely a 114-year old woman who grew eight new teeth.

Prov.:

Pietro Girometti (1812-1859); Baldassarre Boncompagni (1821-1894); sold by Boncompagni’s heirs in 1898 (sale catalogue no. 268); acquired by Henry Newton Stevens in 1898, then by Edward E. Ayer in the same year (cf. inner front cover: ‘The Henry Stevens Ptolemy Collection, begun in 1848 and since his death in 1886 continued by his son Henry Newton Stevens until acquired in 1898 by Edward E. Ayer’); acquired from Edward E. Ayer by the Newberry Library in 1911.

Paper, 234 f., a single hand, reserved initials.

Ptolemaica (single text).

Bibl. E. Narducci, Catalogo di manoscritti ora posseduti da D. Baldassarre Boncompagni, Roma, 1892, 180 (no. 307); S. De Ricci, Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada, I, New York, 1935, 548; P. Saenger, A Catalogue of the Pre-1500 Western Manuscript Books at the Newberry Library, Chicago-London, 1989, 223; P. O. Kristeller, Iter Italicum, V, London-Leiden, 1990, 248 (Ayer Ms. 37); B. Thomson, M. Folkerts, Boncompagni Manuscripts: Present Shelfmarks, Beta Version 2.1 (October 2021), published online, 29.

1ra–⁠234va

‘Incipit Liber quadripartiti Ptholomei. <S>cire et intelligere gloriosum est quia omnis sapientia est a Deo… (2ra) <V>erba que dixit sapientissimus Ptho<lome>us in arte iudiciorum astronomie… (4va) Incipit liber quatuor partium qui dicitur Quadripartitus Ptholomei Philadelphi. Capitulum primum tractatus libri quatuor partium Ptholomei (added in smaller letters: de collectione intellectus scientie iudiciorum astrorum). Res, o Misori, quibus per(4vb)ficiuntur pronosticationes — (221ra) posuit in hoc libro sunt regule et radices quibus ars ista componitur. Explicit. Benedictus sit dominus gloriosus et sublimis et Deus illum qui scripsit in omni bono et prosperitate dirigat qui in celo vivit et regnat. Amen. (221rb) De tribus nativitatibus [title in upper margin, hand of the scribe]. Volo in hoc loco dare exemplum trium nativitatum ut melius intendas quicquid locuti sumus in eis, in prima est nativitas mea — (226va) et Deus te dirigat in viam rectam. Volui probare (226vb) utrum iste actor (!) iudicaret secundum nonam speram vel secundum octavam et inveni per loca planetarum que sunt in figura sue nativitatis quod ipsa fuit annis Christi perfectis 986, 10 mensibus, 15a die Ianuarii, qua die equavi planetas secundum tabulas Mach<linienses> et inveni sic. Explicit liber Ptho<lome>i astrologie cum commento Haly. (227ra) <Q>uia secundum Ptho<lomeu>m in secunda parte Quadripartiti, capitulis primo et quinto, inter 5 necessaria ad perfectum iudicium astronomicum, secundum est scire locum in quo continget accidens — (233va) et Macolia ipse partes de Cartor et sui termini. (234ra) De partibus Asye et eius regionis notandum est pro expositione secundi Quadripartiti quod regnum Cathay — habitant circa Montem Cocas altum valde in cuius summitate nemo habitare potest.’

= Haly Abenrudian, Glosa super Quadripartito Tholomei (C.2.2)

. Translator’s preface, 1ra-1vb; Haly’s preface, 2ra-4va; I, 4va-61va; II, 61va-119vb; III, 120ra-182va; IV, 182va-221ra; Haly’s appendix, 221rb-226va; additional note, 226va-226vb; Alfonsus Dyonisii of Lisbon’s addition, 227ra-233va; Hayton of Corycus, Flos historiarum terre orientis, summarised excerpts from I.1-5, on the geography of China and other kingdoms of the far east, 234ra-234va (on this last section, see discussion and edition by J. Gil, ‘Una versión latina epitomada de Haitón de Armenia’, Habis 29 (1998), 303-306). Short glosses by the scribe and by several other hands, sometimes substantial (e.g. 152r-152v). At least two of these glosses (f. 7r and 17r) give an alternative translation (‘alia translatio’), which turns out to be Plato of Tivoli’s.