PAL

Ptolemaeus Arabus et Latinus

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Gloucester, Cathedral Library, 15

s. XVIin (at least partly copied in 1507, cf. f. 141vb: ‘Et est finis laus altissimo 1507’).

Or.:

the scribe/author is perhaps ‘Petrus de Rielat9’ (?), whose name appears in the colophon f. 120vb (see below).

Prov.:

Henry Fowler, rector of Minchinhampton (c. 1618), who gave the MS to the Cathedral Library of Gloucester.

Paper, a15+11+168+I f. (numbered – apparently by the author – 1-15, I-XI and 12-168 respectively; several folia are missing: f. a9-a11, 14, 32, 38, 47-49, 151-153 and 166-167, as well as at least one folio before f. a2), a single hand.

Astrologer’s anthology made of texts, excerpts, paraphrased excerpts, compilations etc. based on a large number of authorities: table of contents (a1r-a1v); Leopold of Austria, De astrorum scientia, Book VI, beginning gone (a2ra-a3va); introduction to nativities (title faded) ‘Cum omnis infans egreditur de utero materno et ingreditur aerem…’ (a3vb-a6va); Guido Bonatti, Liber introductorius ad iudicia stellarum, excerpts from Books II and III (a6vb-a8vb); astrometeorology ‘Tractatus quidam de eclipsibus … (?). A maioribus incipiendum est eo quod…’ (a12ra-a15vb); compilation on the signs, planets and houses partly based on Alcabitius’s Introductorius, I: ‘Tractatus quidam de naturis signorum. Aries est signum colericum, calidum et siccum, masculinum, diurnum, orientale…’ (Ira-12ra); Ptolemaica (12rb-25va); Haly Abenragel, De iudiciis astrorum, excerpts from Book IV (25vb-27ra); Messahallah, De nativitatibus II, excerpts, end gone (27rb-31vb); ‘De singulis planetis in domibus propriis et aliorum planetarum secundum Bonatum et Leupoldus et Haly’ (33ra-35ra, beginning gone with missing f. 32, the title is given in the table of contents f. a1rb); Haly Abenragel, De iudiciis astrorum, excerpts from Books V and VII (35ra-37va); Abraham Avenezra, Liber nativitatum et revolutionum earum, tr. Pietro d’Abano (39va-43rb); ‘Circa domum sextam de infirmitatibus corporis alicuius nati. Infirmitates et pestilentie corporis nati…’ (43rb-43va); Guido Bonatti, Liber introductorius ad iudicia stellarum, excerpts from Books IV and V (43va-44vb); Firmicus Maternus, Mathesis, excerpts from Books II-VII (45ra-95vb); Haly Abenragel, De iudiciis astrorum, excerpts from Books VI-VII (96ra-107ra); Ptolemaica (107rb-120vb); two chapters ‘Cum interrogatus fueris de peregrinatione utrum fit vel non et si non possit fieri…’ (120vb-121rb); Bethen, Centiloquium (122ra-122vb); Abraham Avenezra, Tractatus particulares, tr. Pietro d’Abano, Book II (123ra-123vb); Albubater, De nativitatibus, excerpts (124ra-141vb); Albumasar, Flores (141vb-147vb); ‘Cum recedente anno perambulaverit Sol totum circulum…’ (147vb-148rb); ‘Significatorum autem predictorum quidam sunt significatores corporis nati et quidam sunt significatores anime seu spirirus nati. Sunt autem significatores corporis secundum Albu<masar?>…’ (148rb-150rb); Gergis, De significatione septem planetarum in domibus, attr. Abraham Avenezra (154ra-154vb); Pseudo-John of Seville, Epitome totius astrologie, Books II-IV (155ra-161va); Capitula Almansoris (161va-162vb); Alkindi (?), Saturnus in Ariete sub radiis… (162vb-163ra); Hermann of Carinthia, Liber imbrium (163rb-164ra); Hermes, Liber de stellis beibeniis (164ra-165rb); Hermes, Centiloquium, beginning only (165va); Guido Bonatti, Liber introductorius ad iudicia stellarum, excerpts from Book VIII (165vb-168va). Blank: 39r, 121v (except for the note ‘Bethen est brevis sed arridus libellus’), 150v.

Bibl. S. M. Eward, A Catalogue of Gloucester Cathedral Library, Gloucester, 1972, 7; J. Monfasani, Collectanea Trapezuntiana: Texts, Documents, and Bibliographies of George of Trebizond, Binghamton (NY), 1984, 21; P. O. Kristeller, Iter Italicum, IV, London-Leiden, 1989, 33; R. Lemay, Le Kitāb aṯ-Ṯamara (Liber fructus, Centiloquium) d’Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf [Ps.-Ptolémée], 1999 [unpublished], I, 412.

12rb–⁠25va

‘Compilatio libri iudicialis Ptholomei in nativitatibus secundum ordinem domorum procedens… Expedita autem theorica nativitatum secundum canones Alchabitii vel alterius introductoris… Ait itaque Ptholomeus tractato tertio, capitulo nono: Quando aliquod luminarium fuerit in aliquo angulorum figure precise — similiter si dominus prime domus radicis nativitatis fuerit in decima revolutionis, idem iudicabis …us (?) vide in parte et capitulo eiusdem … (?).’

107rb–⁠120vb

‘Incipit Centiloquium Ptholomei cum commento Georgii Trapezuntii. Verbum 1. Scientia stellarum ex te et ex illis est, non est enim possibile ut huius scientie professor particulares rerum ydeas, id est formas prevideat… Commentum. Ex te, inquit, id est ex quadam vi (?) insita anime et ingenio vel ex tua naturali induffa (?), et ex illis, id est a scientia nature per diversitatem motuum earum precognitio fit et horum utrumque ipse rationes ostendit — ut sicut raro apparent, sic et inconsueta significare videantur. Et in hoc completur opus commentariorum Georgii Trapezuntii astrologi profecto celeberrimi (?) in librum centum amphorismorum Claudii Ptholomei e Graeco in Latinum per dictum Georgium traductorem. Que quidem commentaria dispersa diffusaque inveniens, ego Petrus de Rielat9 (?) in unum secundum ordinem una cum ipsis Ptholomei amphorismis volumen redegi. Unde benedictus et laudatus sit qui regnat in secula seculorum. Amen.’

= George of Trebizond, Commentarii et expositiones in aphorismis Libri fructus Ptolomei (C.3.11)

, without the prefaces and with text and commentary in alternating sequence. The commentary has been reworked and expanded, sometimes considerably. Plato of Tivoli’s translation (C.3.1.1) has also been used in the opening words of v. 1 and replaces George of Trebizond’s text for the proposition of v. 2. From v. 3 onwards, all propositions are given in both George’s and Plato’s versions, the latter being introduced by ‘Ara<bicus>’. Marginal notes by the scribe.